2026 K League 1 Round 12 Preview
2026 K League 1 Round 12 Preview The second round robin of the 2026 Hana Bank K League 1 season begins on Children's Day, Tuesday 5th May, with top-flight matches scheduled throughout the day. Round 12 of the K League 1 season brings together sides level on momentum as Gangwon FC and Pohang Steelers both look to secure a fifth win of the campaign and strengthen their position in the top half. Elsewhere, Daejeon Hana Citizen aim to extend their scoring run and make it three consecutive victories, while Gimcheon Sangmu’s Go Jae-hyeon looks to continue his recent form and deliver a third straight match with a goal contribution.
Match of the Round Gangwon FC vs. Pohang Steelers, both chasing a fifth win Round 12 sees Gangwon (fourth, 16 points) take on Pohang (sixth, 15 points). With just one point separating the two sides, both enter the match on four wins for the season and will be aiming to reach a fifth and strengthen their push towards the top of the table.
Gangwon moved up to fourth with a 1-0 win over Incheon United in Round 11 and continue to apply pressure on third-placed Ulsan HD, trailing by just one point. At the centre of their recent form is Kim Dae-won, who has featured in every match this season, recording four goals and two assists. In the win over Incheon, he scored the decisive goal with a powerful long-range effort.
Kim has also been named Round MVP twice and selected in the Best 11 on three occasions, underlining his consistency. Having registered a career-high 12 goals and 13 assists in the 2022 season, there is growing expectation that he could surpass those numbers if he maintains his current form. Gangwon have relied on fluid passing and aggressive pressing this season, and will look to continue that approach in pursuit of consecutive wins.
Pohang claimed a 1-0 win over Ulsan in the East Coast Derby in Round 11, with Cho Sang-hyuk scoring a late winner to seal the result. The victory marked a turning point, lifting Pohang from ninth to sixth in the table. While much of their scoring this season has come through Lee Ho-jae (six goals), Cho’s first goal of the campaign highlighted the potential for more varied attacking contributions.
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