K League 1 Preview: Pohang Steelers vs Gimcheon Sangmu

At 18:30 Beijing time on August 1, Pohang Steelers, currently seventh, will host 10th-placed Gimcheon Sangmu in Round 21 of the 2026 K League 1 season. Pohang have 28 points from 20 matches with 8 wins, 4 draws and 8 defeats, while Gimcheon have 20 points from 20 games with 3 wins, 11 draws and 6 losses. Although the gap between the sides is eight points, their recent form is moving in opposite directions: Pohang are stuck in a three-game losing streak, while Gimcheon have just posted back-to-back wins.

Pohang's recent decline has been sharp. They have lost in succession to FC Seoul, Jeju SK and Jeonbuk Hyundai, scoring only two goals and conceding seven across those three matches. Both ends of the pitch have looked badly out of balance.

Home form, which should be a source of points, has instead become a major issue for Pohang this season. They have won only 3 of 9 home league matches, a win rate of just 33 percent, and are averaging only 0.44 goals per game at home. In other words, their attack has offered very little on their own ground.

The situation is made worse by the departure of top scorer Lee Ho-jae. He scored 8 goals this season and led the team with 45 shots and 17 shots on target before completing a move to 2. Bundesliga side Darmstadt. With their most reliable finisher gone, Pohang now need others such as Tranziska to step up, but he has yet to score this season. At the back, first-choice centre-back Cho Sung-wook is out with a knee injury, while foreign striker Juninho Rocha is also sidelined with an ankle problem. With key pieces missing in both attack and defence, Pohang's overall strength has been significantly weakened.

Gimcheon Sangmu's clearest identity this season has been their status as the league's draw specialists. They have drawn 11 of 20 league matches, a rate above 50 percent, the highest in K League 1. Without star foreign players or headline names, the military side relies on discipline and fitness, and their five-man defence is not easy to break down.

What troubles Pohang most is Gimcheon's strong psychological edge in this fixture. In the last 10 meetings, Gimcheon have won 6, drawn 2 and lost 2. In the first meeting between the sides this season, Gimcheon also held Pohang to a 1-1 draw at home. That kind of head-to-head confidence can sometimes matter more than the table or the paper strength of the squads.

Recent form also favours Gimcheon. They beat Daejeon Citizen 3-2 at home in their last league game, then followed that by eliminating Suwon FC 2-1 at home in the third round of the Korean Cup a few days later, making it two straight wins. In attack, Ko Jae-hyun leads the team scoring chart with 6 goals and also tops the side with 14 shots on target.

Gimcheon do have one setback, with forward Lee Geon-hee suspended for yellow-card accumulation. However, midfielder Lee Soo-bin returns after suspension, and first-choice centre-back Lee Jung-taek is also available again after serving his ban. Overall, Gimcheon's squad is in much better shape than Pohang's.

Although Pohang have home advantage, the combination of three straight defeats, a blunt attack, the departure of their top scorer and the absence of a defensive leader makes it hard to see them recovering quickly. With Gimcheon's draw-heavy profile and their strong record against Pohang, the visitors look well placed to take something from this match and extend their unbeaten run in this fixture.

Prediction: Gimcheon Sangmu to avoid defeat away from home.