South Korea's Pohang Steelers secured an early ticket before hosting the Vietnamese representative in the final round, but coach Kim Gi-dong wants the team to maintain their perfect record in Group J of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League.
* Pohang Steelers - Hanoi FC: 5:00 p.m. November 29, Hanoi time.
"We want to finish the group stage with six wins," coach Kim said at a press conference on the afternoon of November 28 before the match against Hanoi FC at Steel Yard.
Pohang Steelers coach Kim Gi-dong. Photo: Pohang Steelers
Pohang have won a maximum of 12 points, and have secured a ticket to the round of 16 as the top team in Group J with two matches to spare. The second place is a competition between the three teams behind them: defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds, Wuhan Three Towns (four points) and Hanoi FC (three points). The Vietnamese representative needs at least a draw with Pohang to keep their hopes alive until the final match.
Hanoi FC's goal faces a big challenge as Pohang are determined to win as a gift for their home fans. In addition, coach Kim wants to do better than the first leg at My Dinh Stadium. "We beat them 4-2, but this time I want to win without conceding any goals," said the 51-year-old coach.
When asked if winning all six matches would affect his goal of giving opportunities to young players, Coach Kim affirmed that he did not want to miss out on both. He wanted young players to show a strong desire to win if given the chance to help the team win all six matches in the group stage.
Pohang Steelers won the 2023 FA Cup after beating Jeonbuk Hyundai 4-2 in the final on November 4. Photo: Yonhap
Meanwhile, striker Kim Ho-jae aims to score against Hanoi FC to complete his goal of scoring in all three tournaments this year. Previously, he scored eight goals and assisted one goal in the K-League, and two goals and assisted one goal in the FA Cup.
Except for Pohang, the remaining three Korean teams, Ulsan Hyundai, Jeonbuk Hyundai and Incheon United, are all uncertain about their place in the AFC Champions League. Coach Kim Gi-dong hopes that the other teams will also achieve good results to reach the round of 16, together raising the status of the K-League.
Pohang only have the AFC Champions League to play for after winning the FA Cup. The team is also guaranteed the runner-up spot in the K-League 1 with 63 points, 10 points behind Ulsan Hyundai and five points ahead of second-placed Gwangju FC with only one match left.
Hieu Luong
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