Headlining this week’s round of action, Suwon FC take on Ulsan HD this Friday. The hosts have regained their form recently, winning back-to-back games to remain in fifth, while improving defensively with consecutive clean sheets too. Impressively, in 2024, Suwon rank second for shots on goal (255), and for passes to the final third (1199), perhaps showing their willingness to play direct as they seek a Final A spot.

Unbeaten in four (two wins, two draws), Pohang Steelers are looking to continue their solid form as the K League 1 title race begins to heat up. In a 2-1 East Coast Derby victory, Park Tae-ha’s men were decisively efficient, taking five of their nine shots on target, creating an xG of 1.57, scoring their goals within the first 20 minutes, winning 30 of their 45 defensive duels, and making 30 interceptions as they successfully stamped their authority on the match.

Up next for Pohang is Daegu, who come into this game having lost twice in a row. It’s been a patchy period for the Sky Blues, who have won four and lost seven of their last 11 matches (following a run of four consecutive draws), with the team struggling to carve out any sustained consistency. Earlier this year, Pohang ran out 3-1 victors against Daegu, extending their unbeaten run in this fixture to six (four wins, two draws).

Recently, Han Seung-gyu has proven himself a key part of an improving FC Seoul team. With four goal contributions (one goal, three assists) in his last three appearances, the versatile midfielder is showing himself to be an impressive creative asset, one who can help get the best out of players around him. Against Jeonbuk, Han made four accurate passes to the final third, two to the penalty area, made four recoveries in the opposition half, won five of his seven duels, and racked up both a goal and assist in his team's emphatic 5-1 thrashing of the Green Warriors. On the back of three consecutive wins, Seoul are in sixth, and will no doubt hold ambitions of holding on to their Final A position come the regular season’s end.

This week, FC Seoul face off with Jeju United. The Islanders have won just once in their last five, and after a late defeat at the hands of Gwangju, will want to repair their form as soon as possible. With only 19 goals scored from an xG of 25.39, it’s clear Kim Hak-beom’s men need to find a sharper attacking edge, though they may be similarly concerned about ranking second for xGA (31.79). The last time these teams met, Seoul were 2-0 winners, meaning they are now five unbeaten (three wins, two draws) against Jeju.

After three consecutive defeats, Incheon United will be hoping to stabilise themselves against league leaders Gimcheon Sangmu. The hosts have fallen out of form, winless in their last seven, scoreless in their last two, and are ninth in the table as a result. Worryingly, in their last three games, the Durumi have averaged (per 90) just 6.6 shots on goal, a drop off from their overall season average of 9.6. On the other hand, Gimcheon are the complete opposite, having won three matches in a row by finding a consistent attacking drive. Against Daegu, the military side offered 22 shots (eight on target), an xG of 2.49, and 38 positional attacks. In Round 11, these two sides played out a 2-2 draw, though Incheon boast a cup victory against Gimcheon from two weeks ago, where they triumphed 4-3 on penalties.

In a likely six-pointer, Daejeon Hana Citizen welcome Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. The Purples are in need of a spark, with back-to-back losses keeping them in 11th, and a lack of goal threat via comfortably the lowest xG in K League 1 (20.77), and lowest number of shots taken (175) emphasising a need for greater forward momentum. Bottom-place Jeonbuk, though, could well be reaching panic stations themselves, a 5-1 home defeat at the hands of FC Seoul making them winless in eight in all competitions. With the highest xGA total in the division (35.45), as well as the leakiest defence (36 goals conceded), the Green Warriors need to set themselves on firmer foundations in the immediacy, should they wish to avoid the looming threat of a relegation battle. The last three meetings between these sides have finished in score draws, including a 1-1 stalemate in this season’s opening round.

Finishing off this week’s fixtures, Gangwon FC face off against Gwangju FC. The Bears were improved in a 1-0 win against Incheon, managing only their third clean sheet of the season, limiting their opposition to three shots on target, and controlling the flow of the game with 63% possession (up on their usual 48.1% average). Gwangju, meanwhile, continued their unpredictability this year at the weekend, a late Gabriel winner the difference-maker for them in a 2-1 victory over Jeju after they too had controlled the game with 63% possession, and six shots on target. In Round 2, a potent Gwangju performance led them to a 4-2 win over Gangwon, making it back-to-back successes against the Bears following a run of three consecutive draws.

#INCvGIM: Incheon United (9th) vs. Gimcheon Sangmu (1st) - 19:30

#SUWvULS: Suwon FC (5th) vs. Ulsan HD FC (2nd) - 19:30 [ENG]

#JEJvSEO: Jeju United (8th) vs. FC Seoul (6th) - 19:00

#DAEvPOH: Daegu FC (10th) vs. Pohang Steelers (3rd) - 19:30 [ENG]

#DHFCvJEO: Daejeon Hana Citizen (11th) vs. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (12th) - 19:00 [ENG]

#GANvGWA: Gangwon FC (4th) vs. Gwangju FC (7th) - 19:00

Watch all matches live on TV.KLeague.com.