Kim Pan-gon, the head coach of Ulsan Hyundai, pledged to achieve victory with a 'younger' team.

Ulsan Hyundai will face Pohang Steelers in the 183rd East Coast Derby of their history during the 6th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2025, which will take place on the 29th at 4:30 p.m. at Pohang Steel Yard. Currently, the 'defending champion' Ulsan ranks second with 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss), while Pohang is in 10th place with 5 points (1 win, 2 draws, 2 losses).

Ulsan is currently unbeaten in their last four league matches. They started the season uncertainly, being held by promoted team FC Anyang in the opening match, but have since secured 3 wins and 1 draw. In the previous round, they drew 1-1 with Suwon FC.

Above all, the defense led by captain Kim Young-gwon has been stable, allowing only one goal in four matches. Newly joined players Seo Myung-gwan and Yoon Jong-kyu, along with Kang Sang-woo, have quickly integrated into Ulsan's four-man defense. The return of national team goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo, who had suffered a fractured nose, wearing a mask is also welcomed.

Before the match, Kim Pan-gon said, "During the break, I let the players rest a lot. We reflected on our game and made tactical adjustments. Overall, other teams in the K League also had a good time reviewing their performances."

What did Coach Kim Pan-gon think of Pohang? He evaluated, "Pohang is a good team. From what I see, they play considerably better tactically than other teams. They are playing football that can entertain the fans in various ways. However, they have continued to be somewhat unlucky, with unexpected goals leading to difficulties. The team itself is not bad."

Go Seung-bum and Brazilian forward Eric will start. Kim Pan-gon noted, "Eric showed some potential in the match against Suwon FC and has impressive skills in training. His power and speed are also good. That's why I quickly put him in the starting lineup," and added, "I expect Go Seung-bum to maintain his good form. He was injured early in the season but played in the last match. I believe he will do even better today."

Ulsan will participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in June. Due to this, their league schedule has been moved up, resulting in a tight calendar. Coach Kim Pan-gon expressed, "I have many concerns. I am quite worried. There are many games on Wednesdays and Saturdays. To prepare for this, we have secured a lot of good players. The players who have been waiting need to seize the opportunity and perform well to enhance our competitiveness."

Ulsan has a debt to repay to Pohang. They lost the Korea Cup championship to Pohang last season. At that time, Ulsan was aiming for both the K League 1 title and the Korea Cup title, but they suffered a 1-3 comeback defeat to Pohang after extra time in the final. They finished the first half leading 1-0 but were caught in the second half.

Coach Kim Pan-gon said, "I was really upset at that time. In fact, we should have made it 2-0 or 3-0 in the first half of last year's final. There are many games like that. Not being able to do so reflects our current level. We need to overcome this to maintain our champion status securely," and added, "I expect us to take control of the game today. The key is decisiveness. Most teams prepare for counterattacks when facing us. We have also prepared carefully for this, and we will lead the game today without conceding counterattacks and aim for a good result."

At that time, Pohang coach Park Tae-ha also mentioned Ulsan's aging. However, now Ulsan has become a new team with several young players such as Heo Yul, Seo Myung-gwan, and Choi Seok-hyun joining the squad. Coach Kim Pan-gon said, "Coach Park Tae-ha said we were old. But since we have become younger, I believe we will get better results," and smiled.

[Photo] Korea Professional Football Federation, Korea Football Association provided.

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