FC Seoul's run of six matches without a win has seen them slip to fifth in the table. An Ik-soo resigned as manager following the 2-2 draw with Daegu FC in Round 27, a game in which Seoul had found themselves ahead twice only to be pegged back. The following match will have felt like a win, though, with Brazilian star Willyan firing in a late equaliser at home to Ulsan Hyundai. The former Gwangju, Gyeongnam, and Daejeon man beat three players before finding the back of the net.
Team News
Suwon are expected to be without Ko Seung-beom through injury but have no players ruled out through suspension. Jeong Seung-won and Lee Jong-sung are one yellow card away from a ban, though.
For FC Seoul, Lee Tae-seok and Willyan are both one yellow away from a one-match ban. Osmar slotted in at centre back. Iljutcenko could start after scoring the game's opener against Ulsan last time out. Ji Dong-won is now back from injury and has made a couple of substitute appearances.
Head-to-Head
FC Seoul emerged as the victors from the two previous encounters this season. The first from April was a 3-1 win at Sangam which saw Hwang Ui-jo score his first Seoul goal from open play. The most recent in June ended 1-0 to Seoul thanks to a late strike from Willyan.
There have been 101 previous Super Matches. FC Seoul have recorded 41 wins, Suwon Bluewings 35, and 25 encounters ended as draws. But it's the Bluewings who have scored the most goals in this fixture with 131 to Seoul's 126. Over the last 10 Super Matches, Suwon have three wins, Seoul six, and one draw.
What to Watch
Who scores the first goal
Throughout the last six seasons, including this one, the team that has scored the game's first goal has gone on to win the match 12 times out of 14. The last time one of the teams came from behind to win a Super Match was in March 2021 when goals from Ki Sung-yueng and Park Jung-bin overturned a Jeong Sang-bin opener at Big Bird. Before that, it was August 2018 when Dejan Damjanovic's opener for the Bluewings was cancelled out by Go Yo-han before Anderson Lopes found the winner in injury time at a rain-drenched Big Bird.
In terms of this season, Suwon Bluewings have gone ahead on 12 occasions and won five, drawn four and lost three. FC Seoul have taken the lead 16 times this season, won 10, drawn five, and lost just once.
Who to Watch
Kazuki Kozuka, Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Since swapping Kawasaki for K League, Japanese midfielder Kazuki Kozuka has been ever-present for the Bluewings. His debut came in a 2-2 draw away to Daejeon Hana Citizen and since then, Kim Byung-soo's men have lost just twice. His first assist came in the 1-1 draw with Jeonbuk, crossing the ball in from a corner for Han Ho-gang to head home. Kazuki has played the full 90 minutes on seven out of eight occasions and has shown a passing accuracy of 85.3%, long passing accuracy of 64.4%, passes to final third accuracy of 67%, 64% accuracy for passes to the penalty area, and 74% accuracy for forward passes. His attempts to dribble have been 75% successful and he's won 63% of his offensive duels.
Stanislav Iljutcenko, FC Seoul
Iljutcenko's goal to open the scoring against Ulsan last time out was his second in as many games. The powerful centre forward netted in back-to-back appearances for FC Seoul for the first time and first time in K League since May 2021 for Jeonbuk. The former Pohang and Jeonbuk striker was given the nod to lead the line by caretaker manager Kim Jin-kyu and repaid the manager's faith. The task at hand now is to keep scoring in order to keep FC Seoul in the top six and in the hunt for AFC Champions League qualification. His record against Suwon Bluewings makes for good reading too for Seoul fans as he has scored five and assisted one in 13 appearances, recording eight wins, three draws, and just two losses.
Where to Watch
Follow the match LIVE, for FREE, and in HD with English commentary on
TV.KLeague.com.
