By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
The Pohang Steelers ripped through the postseason in one of the most impressive hot streaks in recent memory to clinch their first K-League title in 15 years.
Now, they are looking to add another jewel to their crown, but the Chunnam Dragons aren't about to play dead.
The Steelers will charge into the Dragons' lair at the Gwangyang Football Stadium Sunday in the first match of the two-leg FA Cup finals.
The FA Cup, the South Korean version of the traditional knockout competition in English football, is a tournament that involves senior football clubs of all standards, amateur or professional, and the Dragons are looking for their second consecutive title.
However, considering their 40-day layoff since the end of the regular season, it could be hard for the Dragons to contain the red-hot Steelers, an offensive juggernaut that seems to be peaking at the right time.
``I can't see any weaknesses in them (Steelers). But anything can happen in a two-game series,'' said Dragons manager Huh Jung-moo.
``Our players have a lot of experience in battling the Steelers' current team and have a reason to be confidant against them,'' he said.
Steelers manager Sergio Farias hopes that his players can summon one last fight in them. No team has ever one the K-League and FA Cup titles in the same year, and the Brazilian would certainly be glad to coach the first team to do so.
``I am not planning many changes in team selection or tactics,'' he said. ``We will continue to use what worked for us in the playoffs. ''
Farias has an abundance of ammunition, with Cleber Schwenck Tiene and Ko Ki-gu starting up front and brilliant playmaker Andre Luiz Tavares, widely considered the best footballer playing in Korea, orchestrating the attack from the central midfield. However, the Steelers will be missing the flair of Choi Hyo-jin, who is nursing a foot injury, on the right wing.
Huh, apparently concerned of the Steelers' firepower, is packing the midfield with five players to grind down the game to a slower pace. The three-back lineup anchored by South Korean international Kang Min-soo is as solid as any in the league, and the frontline duo of Sandro Hiroshi and Victor Simoes give them a puncher's chance.