ACL Two Pre-Match Press Conference | vs Pohang Steelers

It’s a battle for the top spot, and a win here would put the Stags in a strong position to qualify. The Stags currently lead the group on goal difference and head into this match full of belief after a statement 2-1 victory over Thai giants BG Pathum United on Matchday 2 of the 2025/26 AFC Champions League (ACL) Two.

But the next hurdle will be their toughest yet - Pohang Steelers. The three-time AFC Champions League champions (under its previous format) and reigning 2024 Korean FA Cup (now Korea Cup) winners will pose a formidable test. With two wins from two as well, the Steelers are in red-hot form, setting up what will undoubtedly be the Stags’ biggest challenge of the campaign.

Here are all the details from the pre-match press conference with Head Coach Noh Rahman and Jacob Mahler:

On Pohang Steelers

Noh Rahman: We had a good start to this competition - 2 games played, 2 games won. And it’s the same intention. We are going into this game with the same intention to try and keep this momentum going. With the squad that we have, everyone is ready for that. So, we are looking forward to the game.

On Calibre of Opposition

Jacob Mahler: We know Pohang is a good side. We go into every game, especially the ACL Two, with the intention of winning the 3 points. We know how important every point is. Of course, we have to understand that Pohang are the favourites, but for us, we will just focus on ourselves - the way we want to play. And that’s the most important thing. We’ll go out there, play our style of football and get the 3 points.

On Team Expectations

Noh Rahman: We definitely watched their games. Quite recently, we watched their game against Daejeon (Hana). We also saw a couple of their games in the ACL Two. Obviously, they have a few players that are potential threats to us, so those are players that we are paying more attention to. But as a team, as a squad, and as a club, we are just going to focus on ourselves and walk into the game trying to face these challenges together.

Jacob Mahler: We sat down and watched a few videos of how they play. But like Coach Noh said, we will just focus on ourselves. We know every game in the ACL Two will be a difficult game, so there’s not going to be any easy games. But the most important thing for us is to focus on the way we play. We will prepare for the game and to go out there with a good mindset wanting to get the 3 points. The whole team is highly motivated. We are just going out there to perform and play our style of football.

On Underwhelming Performance against BG Pathum United 

Noh Rahman: Every 3 points in this competition is vital. We would like to also pay attention to our performance, but with any 3 points at this level, I’ll take it any time. More importantly, when you are playing in competitions like this and on top of that, you have the league games, it's quite important to keep everyone fresh and motivated. Those are the periods where the team stuck together. They trust each other, trust our football. We go out there and we try to play our football to the best of our abilities, and to the best of our team strength. And then we try to go into the game to get the 3 points.

On Managing Player Expectations

Noh Rahman: If you compare this year’s squad (to that of last season), we definitely have a little bit more depth with the inclusion of 7 foreigners in the team. So, competition for places in the team is quite intense. As such, some players are disappointed not getting enough playing time, but that’s just the way it is. It is something for me to manage but at the same time, there are plenty of games on top of the ACL Two. We have Shopee Cup games and the (Singapore Premier) League in itself. So opportunities for players to play a role are definitely there, but it’s just a question of keeping everyone fresh, fit, and at the right mindset to go into games believing that they have a role to play in the team. The bigger intention as a team is that we are working towards the same objective to try to bring the club forward.

Jacob Mahler: For us, going into every ACL Two game, we are highly motivated to play at the international level. Obviously, there are only two clubs in Singapore that get to do this and so for us, it’s a privilege. So we don’t really need that extra motivation. Whenever we go into any ACL Two game, we always want to get 3 points. It’s always in our minds and of course now, getting the chance against a Korean side. We don’t get this type of opposition week in, week out. So for us, it’s easy for us to get that motivation to want to do well, and we are ready for the challenge.

On Pohang Being Dubbed as Favourites

Jacob Mahler: Obviously, there will be your favourites, understably because they play in the Korean league. We, as players, have gone through all these experiences. Regardless, we all want to win. We go into the game hungry and motivated to get the 3 points. People can say whatever they want to say, or people can have their opinions but we will focus on ourselves. We know how important this game is. We are in a decent position at the moment with 6 points. A win or any amount of points can put us in a really good contention to get out of the group stage. We are more than focused on that.

On Competition Targets

Noh Rahman: After the BG (Pathum United) game, I asked this question to the team - “Are we satisfied with 6 points?” And then the challenge is for us to do better than last season. We just missed qualification and I thought that we had a decent chance. So this year, coming into this competition, everyone needs to realise that yes, we are playing against some of Asia’s best teams. That is undeniable but we need to think that we are also one of the big teams here. Believe in our football, believe in our abilities, and playing at home, I think we stand a good chance against any team.

On Previous Draw Against Balestier Khalsa

Noh Rahman: It’s definitely a disappointing result, if you ask me and the rest of the team. I thought that we dropped that 2 points. But we go into this competition with a different mindset now, all focus (towards the game ahead). We know what’s ahead of us. In this competition, we are in a good place at the moment. So we would like to continue that, and we would like to try and maintain that. We would like to finish all these (remaining) 4 group stage games in a good position.

On Fan Support 

Jacob Mahler: For an ACL Two game, the extra motivation from the fans is always nice to feel. For them to come down, supporting us, it will definitely give us that extra motivation. In the last game when we had a 3-3 draw, there were numbers there to support us. Unfortunately, we were unable to get them the result but hopefully, this time, we can get the result against Pohang. We would be greatly appreciative of their support. 

The Stags vs The Steelers - Catch the match LIVE on meWatch tomorrow, 23 October at 6pm.

Online ticket sales are available on SISTIC. On-site assistance for e-ticket purchasing via SISTIC website will also be made available and will start 2 hours before Kick-Off at the Ticketing Booth located at between Gate 3 and 4 at Bishan Stadium.