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Pohang Steelers and Nagoya Grampus will trade tackles in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday.
Steelers come into this game on the back of a goalless draw with Ratchaburi. Meanwhile, Nagoya Grampus picked up a 2-1 victory over Johor DT on Sunday.
Mateus and Hiroyuki Abe scored first-half goals to give the Japanese side all three points.
That win helped Grampus secure qualification for the knockout rounds. The J1 League side currently lead the way in Group G with maximum points secured from five matches played so far.
Pohang Steelers are five points behind and will need a victory to keep hope alive of progressing to the knockout round as one of the best second-placed teams.
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Head-to-Head
The first leg meeting between the sides ended in a 3-0 victory in favor of Nagoya Grampus. Mateus scored a second-half brace to lead his side to a convincing victory.
The win was the second game in an ongoing sequence of six consecutive victories for the Japanese side. Pohang Steelers have won three of their last five games.
Pohang Steelers form guide: D-W-W-L-W
Nagoya Grampus form guide: W-W-W-W-W
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Team News
Pohang Steelers
Kwang-hyok Lee is still sidelined with a long-term injury. Midfielder Mario Kvesic suffered an ankle injury in the victory over Johor, while Yoon Sukju is also a new injury concern.
There are no suspension concerns for manager Kim Gi-dong.
Injury: Kwang-hyok Lee, Mario Kvesic, Yoon Sukju
Suspension: None
Nagoya Grampus
Mu Kanazaki and Yuichi Maruyama have both been ruled out by injuries. Takuji Yonemoto will miss out through suspension for accumulated yellow cards.
Injury: Mu Kanazaki, Yuichi Maruyama
Suspension: Takuji Yonemoto
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI
Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Mitchell Langerak (GK); Yutaka Yoshida, Shinnosuke Nakatani, Yasuki Kimoto, Shumpei Naruse; Yuki Soma, Sho Inagaki; Naoki Maeda, 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, Seung-Mo Lee, Young-Jun Goh; Borys Tashchy
Pohang Steelers vs Nagoya Grampus Prediction
The fact that only one side needs a result in this game could play a key role in determining the outcome. While Nagoya Grampus have already eased into the knockouts, Pohang Steelers still need a positive result on Wednesday.
This could see Kim-Gi Dong's men play on the front foot and Grampus could take advantage. Ultimately, the two sides have enough quality to swing the tie either way but we are predicting a share of the spoils.
Prediction: Pohang Steelers 1-1 Nagoya Grampus
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