On Sunday league leaders Ulsan Hyundai face Suwon Samsung Bluewings for the third time this season as the 2021 Hana 1Q K League 1 season reaches Round 26. The hosts will try to get back on the winning track while Suwon however look to get three points to fight for third place in the standings.
Recent Form
Ulsan Hyundai head into this weekend’s game after a 2-2 draw against Jeju United last week. Prior to that, the Horangi managed to win two games in a row to bounce back from a difficult return to domestic football after the AFC Champions League. Since the 5-2 loss to Suwon FC, Ulsan have picked up two wins and two draws in the league and remain top by two points.
Suwon enjoyed an excellent start to the new season, reaching the top four despite finishing in the bottom half in 2020. Lately, they have been out of form in the league and got eliminated in the FA Cup quarterfinal stage on account of a 2-0 defeat to Gangwon FC. Since K League resumed following the ACL break, the Bluewings have lost four from five matches and are without a win.
Team News
Hong Myung-bo seems to be in a comfortable position with most his players being fit and ready to play. Yun Il-lok could be included in an K League match day squad for the first time since his return from France. The former FC Seoul and Jeju United man was omitted from Ulsan's match day 18 for the fixture with Jeju United last time out. His only appearance for the Horangi was during the FA Cup quarterfinal win over Yangju Citizen when he scored goal on his debut.
Suwon Samsung Bluewings’ head coach Park Kun-ha seems to be in a slightly more difficult situation as both Kim Gun-hee and Han Seok-hee won’t be able to play due to injuries. Young winger Jung Sang-bin needs to be careful as he has already gotten four yellow cards this season which means that getting another one will result in a suspension.
Head-to-Head
The historical head-to-head record between Ulsan Hyundai and Suwon Samsung Bluewings is pretty close with 34 Ulsan wins, 27 Suwon wins and 25 draws. In terms of goals scored, however, the Horangi lead by only one. In the previous 10 outings, Ulsan lost only once to Suwon. However, this loss was in the current season in April when Park Kun-ha’s side had the upper hand over current league leaders by winning 3-0 at home.
What to Watch
Ulsan’s ability to build attacks
Ulsan Hyundai have lost only three games this far but drawing nine matches already is what makes them unable to hold a bigger lead at the top of the table. The Horangi are the first in team passes per game (506,17) with both centre-backs, Dave Bulthuis and Kim Kee-hee, being the top five players with the most passes in the league. This combined with the fact that Hong Myung-bo’s side also shoots the most frequently (13,33 shots per game) shows a willingness to play offensive football. Yoon Bit-garam and Vako are in the top 10 most shooting players and so they are players most likely to find a way into the opponent’s net alongside Lee Dong-jun, Hinterseer and Kim Min-jun.
Suwon Samsung Bluewings’ attacking power
Since the summer break, Suwon Samsung Bluewings have scored the least goals in this time period (three in five games) alongside Daegu FC and Seongnam FC. This weekend they look to regain their attacking power as prior to the break, they were able to boast of the third-best attack in K League 1 with 29 goals in 19 games. But in order to do that they will have to find a way to shoot more frequently, because since the ACL and Olympic break, Suwon stand in 12th place in the league in terms of shots on target with only 12 such occasions in five games. With Ulsan Hyundai being the team which has conceded most goals in the last five rounds - tied with Suwon Samsung Bluewings at nine goals conceded in five games - Suwon might look to bounce back by putting the ball in the back of Ulsan’s net.
Who to Watch
Lee Dong-jun, Ulsan Hyundai
Ulsan Hyundai star Lee Dong-jun has had a great season so far. He has been crucial for his team helping to get three points against Daegu FC and Gangwon FC in the first week of August. The explosive winger can single-handedly change his team’s playstyle. Lee is a player who is very capable of turning possession in to goal-scoring chances. The Horangi’s top goalscorer with eight goals has needed only 30 shots to accomplish this.
Where to Watch
Fans in countries with K League overseas broadcasting rights can follow the game live on television. More information can be found
here.
Alternatively, the match is also available for FREE on
tv.kleague.com.
