As we head towards the end of the regular season, Round 27 of Hana Bank K League 1 action comes with the potential to help set the stage for a thrilling conclusion. At the top of the table, league leaders Gangwon FC host in-form Final A hopefuls Gwangju FC, Gimcheon Sangmu travel to Daegu FC, and Ulsan HD look to continue their momentum under Kim Pan-gon against fifth-place Suwon FC. Elsewhere, bottom-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors host Pohang Steelers, Incheon United face off with Daejeon Hana Citizen, and FC Seoul welcome Jeju United to the capital.
This week’s standout contest sees Ulsan HD face off with Suwon FC. The hosts enjoyed a winning start to Kim Pan-gon’s tenure in Round 26, beating Daegu 1-0 courtesy of a first-half own goal. But the Horangi had looked threatening throughout the match, creating an xG of 1.4 from 14 shots, having 29 positional attacks, making 54 accurate progressive passes, and 37 accurate passes to the final third. With that in mind, Ulsan are now back up to third in the table, two points away from first.
As for Suwon, back-to-back defeats have left them just two points ahead of sixth-place FC Seoul, and in need of a spark. In a 2-1 loss against Daejeon, Kim Eun-jung’s side couldn’t find an equaliser despite having an xG of 2.06, 19 shots (seven on target), 48 positional attacks, a total of 15 accurate crosses, and the completion of 63 accurate passes to the final third. Moving forward, the goal will be for Suwon to find a clinical edge, and regain their winning formula as they look to protect a top-half spot.
The last time these teams met, Suwon held Ulsan to a 1-1 draw, breaking the Horangi’s nine-game winning streak in this fixture. To find Suwon’s only triumph against Ulsan, you’d have to go back to July 2021, where they managed a resounding 5-2 win on their travels to the East Coast.
Gangwon FC (vs. Gwangju FC, Sun. 18th August - 19:00)
After three consecutive victories, Gangwon FC have found themselves leading the pack in K League 1, one more win away from breaking their record of total wins across a top-flight season (currently 14). Last time out, the Bears came from a goal down to beat Gimcheon Sangmu 2-1 thanks to a double from Lee Sang-heon, which takes his overall goal tally for the season to 10. There, Gangwon created an xG of 1.26 from just five shots, made eight high recoveries, 39 interceptions, 25 clearances, 42 accurate passes to the final third, and 20 accurate long passes in an efficient display.
This week, Yoon Jong-hwan’s men host Gwangju FC, who themselves are on a three-game winning streak as they seek out a way into the top half. Impressively, after triumphing 1-0 away at Jeonbuk - their first win against the Green Warriors in six attempts - the Griffins have now kept three consecutive clean sheets, thus solidifying themselves after previously having one of the division’s leakiest defences (34 goals conceded from an xGA of 33.43). However, the last time these two teams met, it was Gangwon who took the three points in an impressive 2-0 victory.
Player of the Round
Masatoshi Ishida, Daejeon Hana Citizen (vs. Incheon United, Sat. 17th August - 19:30)
With his pair of goals inspiring Daejeon Hana Citizen to their first away win of 2024, the returning Masatoshi Ishida will be hoping he can continue being a catalyst for the Purples as they battle for K League 1 survival. Across his team’s 2-1 win against Suwon, the Japanese forward took six shots, created an xG of 1.55, made three successful dribbles, three progressive runs, won three of his four offensive duels, and attempted three passes into the final third (one being successful). With that victory, Daejeon have moved up to 10th.
On Saturday, the Purples have to contend with Incheon United, who themselves looked improved in a 1-0 away win against Jeju United. There, the Durumi created an xG of 0.68 from 10 shots, had 29 positional attacks, won 41 of their 60 defensive duels, and made 35 accurate progressive passes in the kind of performance that may well set some solid foundations for a potential end-of-season resurgence. Against Daejeon, Incheon have won their last four games, and they are unbeaten against the Purples since their promotion.
Elsewhere in K League 1
Winless in eight matches, Daegu FC are aiming to recapture some form when they host Gimcheon Sangmu. The Sky Blues have had a tough season, but the underlying attacking stats provide some room for optimism, when considering they have an overall xG figure of 35.82 (though have only scored 24 times), as well as per 90 averages of 11.46 shots taken, and 13.89 touches in the opposition box. Gimcheon, meanwhile, have lost three out of their last five games, sending them down to second. But the military side have the best defensive record in the league, conceding 27 times from 26 games and keeping 12 clean sheets, all from the third-lowest xGA tally (31.71). This season, Gimcheon have won both meetings between these sides, with the most recent clash a 2-0 victory for Chung Jung-yong’s men in round 20.
On the back of three consecutive wins, FC Seoul go into their clash with Jeju United full of confidence. Last time out, the capital city side beat title challengers Pohang Steelers while on their travels, scoring twice from an xG of 0.43, making 53 low recoveries, winning 57 of their 77 defensive duels, and making 54 interceptions. Impressively, Seoul boast the lowest xGA total in K League 1 with 30.73. As for Jeju, a home defeat to Incheon somewhat dented their Final A ambitions, and unlike their opposition, they rank second-highest for xGA this year (38.79). With that being said, these sides have traded wins in 2024, with home advantage key on both occasions.
Rounding out the weekend’s action, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors take on Pohang Steelers. The visitors have lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season going into Saturday, so know they need to recalibrate slightly to keep pace with their close-knit title challengers. Positively, Pohang are strong at limiting their opposition, ranking fourth-lowest for xGA (32.33), as well as for clean sheets with seven. Jeonbuk, on the other hand, have conceded 48 times across their 26 games, and have now dropped to bottom place following a 1-0 defeat to Gwangju. Nevertheless, games between these two sides have been tightly contested in 2024, with two draws and one win each across the four meetings, which includes two AFC Champions League contests.
K League 1 Table
K League 1 Round 27 Fixtures
Friday 16th August
#DAEvGIM: Daegu FC (11th) vs. Gimcheon Sangmu (2nd) - 19:30
#SEOvJEJ: FC Seoul (6th) vs. Jeju United (8th) - 19:30 [ENG]
Saturday 17th August
#JEOvPOH: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (12th) vs. Pohang Steelers (4th) - 19:00
#DHFCvINC: Daejeon Hana Citizen (10th) vs. Incheon United (9th) - 19:30 [ENG]
Sunday 18th August
#ULSvSUW: Ulsan HD FC (3rd) vs. Suwon FC (5th) - 19:00 [ENG]
#GANvGWA: Gangwon FC (1st) vs. Gwangju FC (7th) - 19:00
