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J1 League side Nagoya Grampus will 'host' K League outfit Pohang Steelers at Rajamangala Stadium in 2021 AFC Champions League action on Friday.
The two sides were victorious in their opening fixtures and will each be looking to pick up another three points to consolidate their position at the summit.
Nagoya were 1-0 victors against Malaysian side Johor DT on Tuesday with Hiroyuki Abe scoring the winning goal on the hour-mark.
Pohang Steelers picked up a 2-0 victory over Ratchaburi of Thailand. Borys Tashchy and Lim Sang-Hyub scored in each half to give the Koreans all three points.
Also Read: David James column - Top 5 favorites to win Euro 2020
Nagoya Grampus vs Pohang Steelers Head-to-Head
This will be the first continental meeting between the two sides and they will each be looking to begin their rivalry with a victory.
Pohang Steelers are currently on a three-game winning run in all competitions, with just one loss registered in their last five games.
Nagoya Grampus have won consecutive games for the first time in two months.
Nagoya Grampus form guide: W-W-D-L-D
Pohang Steelers form guide: W-W-W-L-W
Also Read: Paul Merson's column - Euro 2020: 5 surprise packages of the tournament so far
Nagoya Grampus vs Pohang Steelers Team News
Nagoya Grampus
Mu Kanazaki has been ruled out with an injury, while Yuichi Maruyama will undergo a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Injury: Mu Kanazaki
Doubtful: Yuichi Maruyama
Suspension: None
Pohang Steelers
Kwang-hyok Lee has been sidelined with an injury but there are no suspension concerns for manager Kim Gi-dong.
Injury: Kwang-hyok Lee
Suspension: None
Nagoya Grampus vs Pohang Steelers Predicted XI
Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Mitchell Langerak (GK); Yutaka Yoshida, Shinnosuke Nakatani, Yasuki Kimoto, Shumpei Naruse; Takuji Yonemoto, Sho Inagaki; Yuki Soma, Hiroyuki Abe, Mateus dos Santos; Ryogo Yamasaki
Pohang Steelers Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Hyeon-Mu Kang (GK); Sang-Woo Kang, Wan-Kyu Kwon, Min-Gwang Jeon, Kwang-Hoon Shin; Jin-Ho Sin, Beom-Seok Oh; Sang-Hyub Lim, Mario Kvesic, Manuel Palacios; Borys Tashchy
Nagoya Grampus vs Pohang Steelers Prediction
Pohang Steelers have been impressive in recent weeks and much of their success has been down to a watertight defense that concedes few chances. Nagoya Grampus are also defensively solid, which could lead to a compact game by both sides.
The two teams are fairly evenly matched and we are predicting a share of the spoils, with goals to be scored at both ends.
Prediction: Nagoya Grampus 1-1 Pohang Steelers
