Pohang Steelers will host Nagoya Grampus in a quarterfinal tie in the AFC Champions League on Sunday.
The home side secured their spot at this stage by virtue of their 1-0 victory over J1 League side Cerezo Osaka in the round-of-16. Lee Sung-Mo scored the winning goal in the 25th minute.
Nagoya progressed at the expense of Daegu, with Jakub Swierczok's hat-trick inspiring them to a 4-2 comeback victory over their South Korean rivals.
A place in the semifinal against either Jeonbuk or Ulsan Hyundai awaits the winner of this tie. The game will be decided over one leg, which means both sides will give their all on the day.
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Head-to-Head
The two sides were paired in Group G of the current campaign and Nagoya Grampus did not lose either leg.
They secured a 3-0 victory in the first leg and drew the return match, but still finished in second spot in the group.
The hosts secured a 3-2 away victory over Gwangju FC in league action before the international break. The win halted a run of three successive defeats.
Nagoya Grampus recently went on a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions but have since lost two of their last three games.
Pohang Steelers form guide (all competitions): W-L-L-L-W
Nagoya Grampus form guide (all competitions): L-W-L-W-D
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Team News
Pohang Steelers
Kwang-hyeok Lee (achilles), Boris Tashchy, Ho-nam Kim and Hyun-moo Kang (ankle) will all miss the visit of Grampus due to injuries.
There are no suspension concerns for the home side.
Injuries: Kwang-hyeok Lee, Boris Tashchy, Ho-nam Kim, Hyun-moo Kang
Suspension: None
Nagoya Grampus
Yuichi Maruyama is the only injury concern for the hosts with a cruciate ligament injury.
Injury: Yuichi Maruyama
Suspension: None
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI
Pohang Steelers Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Hyeon-Mu Kang (GK); Sang-Woo Kang, Min-Gwang Jeon, Wan-Kyu Kwon, Seung-Wook Park; Jin-Ho Sin, Kwang-Hoon Shin; Kwon Ki-Pyo, Young-Jun Goh, Manuel Palacios; Seung-Mo Lee
Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Mitchell Langerak (GK); Yutaka Yoshida, Min-Tae Kim, Shinnosuke Nakatani, Kazuya Miyahara; Kazuki Nagasawa, Sho Inagaki; Ryoya Morishita, Naoki Maeda, Mateus dos Santos; Jakub Swierczok
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Prediction
Nagoya Grampus have been the more consistent side but Steelers have home advantage in their favor.
Both sides naturally like to play on the front foot but could be more cautious given the high stakes involved. We are backing Grampus to progress with a narrow victory in addition to goals being scored at both ends.
Prediction: Pohang Steelers 1-2 Nagoya Grampus