In this week’s match of the round, Daejeon Hana Citizen welcome FC Seoul to Daejeon World Cup Stadium, in a clash where both teams have a point to prove. For the hosts, it’s that they’re better than their current league position of 12th suggests and that despite being winless in three, with one league win in their last five, they have what it takes to start gaining much-needed points. Daejeon, however, currently have the second-lowest xG total in the division (7.8), and with six goals scored all season, as well as eight big chances missed, it’s clear a sharper clinical edge needs to be found should the team be able to achieve some consistency.

FC Seoul, meanwhile, have dropped into the bottom half after losing their last two matches, with their overall run of form also seeing only one win in their last five in league competition. There are some positives in the underlying data, though, given the capital city side have conceded 11 times from an xGA of 7.8 (suggesting their current relative leakiness will level out at some point), while Kim Gi-dong's men have performed as expected when it comes to xG. Still, conceding seven goals in their last two league games is likely to cause some concern, and becoming hard to beat may be a priority this weekend as Seoul look to get back on track.

In 2023, this fixture saw two Daejeon victories - their first since 2004 against Seoul - and two draws, ending a run of 26 matches without a win for the Purples (18 losses, eight draws) when facing the capital city side.

Getting his first goals of the season last time out, Yago Cariello’s hat-trick helped spearhead Gangwon to an impressive 4-1 victory against Incheon United. The Brazilian striker - who previously had only scored one first-team goal for the club - was solid throughout the match, scoring his three goals from four total shots, taking five touches in the opposition box, making three passes into the final third, six recoveries, and four defensive actions. With 80 or more minutes played in his last four matches for Gangwon, Yago is looking to have made himself an established starter for a team with potential Final A ambitions.

This week, Yago and co. will travel to second-place Gimcheon. The military side are in good form, having won three out of their last five, and will be pleased with a 0-0 away draw against Pohang last weekend which allowed them to stay within a point of the league leaders. In 2024, Gimcheon have the most clean sheets in the division (four), and may well need to continue to boast a sturdy defence on Saturday given Gangwon have scored 15 goals across their eight games. In 2022, the last time these sides met, there were two 1-0 Gimcheon victories either side of a 3-2 triumph for the Bears.

Fresh off an extended break, Gwangju FC will return to action hoping to return to winning ways when they host Suwon FC. The Griffins are in poor form at the moment, having lost five consecutive matches, and as a result, they sit in 11th place (albeit with a game in hand). Last time Gwangju were in action, they were defeated 2-1 by Jeonbuk. As for Suwon, two consecutive league victories has put them in fifth, hopeful of continuing positive momentum. During their 2-1 win over Jeju United, Kim Eun-jung’s men created three big chances, took 21 shots, 34 touches in the opposition penalty area, and importantly scored, an injury-time penalty to secure the victory. In 2023, Gwangju won all three meetings in this fixture, keeping clean sheets on each occasion.

Remaining at the top of the table following a 0-0 draw with Gimcheon Sangmu, Pohang Steelers face Incheon United. The hosts have been good value for money in 2024, unbeaten in their last seven games, with three wins out of the last five. Per 90, the Steelers still retain the best defensive record in the league too, averaging 0.8 goals conceded from an overall xGA of 9.1. Incheon, meanwhile, are looking to put a 4-1 defeat away to Gangwon to the back of their minds and turn around form which has seen them go winless in their last three league matches (one draw, two losses). Last season, two of the four clashes between the sides went in Pohang’s favour, one went in Incheon’s, and the latest meeting finished as a 1-1 draw.

Returning to K League action this weekend following their AFC Champions League semi-final penalty shootout defeat, Ulsan HD will now want to move forward and continue their quest for a K League 1 title three-peat when they welcome Jeju United. Before their short break, the Horangi comfortably beat Gangwon 4-0, where they impressively created an xG of 3.43 and seven big chances. For Jeju, though, this week is a chance to show their quality after two consecutive league defeats and test themselves against the reigning champions as they hope to consolidate their top-half position. In 2023, Ulsan won all three league games against Jeju, though the Islanders will have fond memories of a penalty shootout victory in the Korea Cup quarter-finals back in June.