Headlining this weekend of action is the East Coast Derby, where Pohang Steelers host Ulsan HD. The Steelers are in solid enough form, winning two, drawing two, and losing once in their last five K League 1 fixtures, but now sit four points behind this week’s opposition having previously led the table not too long ago. In midweek, it took an Oberdan equaliser to secure a point away to Jeonbuk, making it four games without a clean sheet for the best defence in the league (18 goals conceded from the second lowest xGA), their longest stretch of the year.

As for Ulsan, a narrow 1-0 win against Daegu on Wednesday made it back-to-back victories for the first time since early May, and saw the team claim only their second clean sheet in the last eight games. The Horangi remain a potent attacking outfit this year, however, scoring 37 times from 238 shots, while comfortably ranking first in the division for xG (32.29), key passes (73), and touches in the penalty area (391).

The last time these two teams met was all the way back in round one, where a 1-0 Ulsan victory gave them the bragging rights. Generally speaking, the Horangi have the edge in recent history, given they’re unbeaten in their last six meetings with Pohang (three wins, three draws).

After earning two consecutive victories through more attacking performances, Gimcheon Sangmu have put themselves back in contention at the top of the table, equally as close to Ulsan in first as they are clear of Pohang in third (two points). Across their 2-0 victory at home to Daejeon, the military side took 11 shots, had 38 positional attacks, made 18 high recoveries, completed nine accurate crosses, 51 accurate passes to the final third, and importantly limited their opponents to just two shots on target. More performances of that ilk are bound to pay dividends for Gimcheon, who could just start to consider themselves genuine title contenders.

Hoping to bounce back after their first defeat in four games, Daejeon Hana Citizen welcome Suwon FC this weekend. The Purples didn’t show enough attacking quality in a 2-0 defeat to Gimcheon, managing only two shots on target despite creating an xG of 0.93, and completing 33 passes to the final third. As such, they head into the weekend as the league’s joint-lowest scorers (18). Suwon, on the other hand, returned to winning ways courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Gwangju, where efficiency - five overall shots, and an xG of 0.25 - paid off to secure the points. In round seven, Suwon were 1-0 victors against Daejeon.

Frustrated by consecutive defeats, Gwangju FC are looking to change their fortunes when they face Jeju United. The Griffins haven’t found their consistency yet in 2024 despite offering some solid underlying stats (an xGD - expected goal difference - of just over three, 63 key passes, 17.37 touches in the penalty area per 90, as well as 8.73 shots against per 90 compared to an average of 10.07 shots taken), and as such sit in eighth. Similarly, Jeju have proven patchy this year, though they broke a three-match losing streak with a 1-0 win against Incheon in midweek, their fifth victory of the season by that scoreline. In round 10, Gwangju beat the Islanders 3-1, making it consecutive wins for them in this fixture for the first time since 2016.

Finally, Incheon United host Gangwon FC this Sunday. The hosts are winless in six games, a 1-0 defeat against Jeju in midweek making it three losses in the last four games for the Durumi. Gangwon, meanwhile, need to regain their confidence after back-to-back league defeats. Averaging 1.68 goals conceded per game, it’s clear where short-term improvements need to come for the Bears, as they seek to consolidate their current Final A standing. Last time these teams met, Gangwon thrashed Incheon 4-1 after failing to win any of the previous four meetings.

#GIMvDAE: Gimcheon Sangmu (2nd) vs. Daegu FC (10th) - 18:00

#JEOvSEO: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (12th) vs. FC Seoul (6th) - 19:00 [ENG]