Representatives from the two contestants in the final of the Korea Cup football tournament pose with the champion's trophy during their prematch press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Thursday. From left: Pohang Steelers midfielder Han Chan-hee, head coach Park Tae-ha, Ulsan HD FC head coach Kim Pan-gon, and midfielder Kim Min-woo. (Yonhap)
Deuces will be wild in the final of the top national football tournament at the end of November, when two regional rivals in the top-flight K League 1 will clash for supremacy.
Ulsan HD FC and Pohang Steelers will square off in the one-and-done final of the Korea Cup tournament at 3 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Ulsan will go for a domestic double, having clinched the K League 1 title earlier this month with two matches left on the season. It would be their second Korea Cup.
Pohang will try to win their second consecutive Korea Cup title and their sixth overall, which would make them the most successful club in the tournament's 38-year history.
Their rival showdown in the K League is called the "East Coast Derby," given their geographic proximity in the eastern part of the nation. This will be the first meeting in the Korea Cup final between these two clubs.
In the pretournament press conference Thursday, Ulsan head coach Kim Pan-gon said it was "exciting" to go up against such a dynamic opponent.
"It's tough to find weaknesses in Pohang. They are a very well organized team and they are technically sound," Kim said. "But I am confident that we have as strong of a squad as anyone in the league. We will try harder to identify Pohang's weaknesses and also focus on things we can do well."
Kim's counterpart, Park Tae-ha, pointed out Ulsan are "an aging team" with veterans on the wrong side of 30 forming the core.
"I think they may have trouble with speed," Park said with a smile. "We will try to exploit that to our advantage. Our rivalry matches always produce great stories. And since this will be the one-legged final, it's that much more difficult to predict how the match will play out."
Ulsan midfielder Kim Min-woo, who won the 2019 Korea Cup with Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a two-legged final, said he was looking forward to playing just one final match. The 34-year-old said he would like to play the hero but added he felt another veteran midfielder, the 36-year-old Lee Chung-yong, may have something up his sleeve in the final.
"He has so much experience in big matches and he has been able to maintain a high level of play," Kim said. "He has been showing off great skills in training sessions and I think he's going to surprise people in the final."
Pohang midfielder Han Chan-hee, who scored the opening goal in last year's FA Cup final, when Pohang defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4-2, said he'd like to have a bigger impact on this year's championship match.
"Even though I scored, few people remember it because it wasn't really a big goal," Han said with a grin. "This year, I'll try to score a more important goal." (Yonhap)
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