The midweek slate of fixtures to be played on Tuesday and Wednesday night have a lot on offer as the front-runners try to distance themselves from the rest of the pack. Jeju United host league leaders Ulsan Hyundai. Jeonbuk Hyundai picked up a victory over Gangwon FC last time out and would like to back that up with another three points against Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Chou Gue-sung already has five goals to his credit this year and would love to add to his tally against Seongnam FC.
Alternative Match of the Round
Jeju United (3rd) vs Ulsan Hyundai (1st) Tue. 5th April, 19:30
Jeju United had an opportunity to inch closer to the top of the table at the weekend but were held to a scoreless draw against Daegu FC. It did not impact them negatively, however, as Ulsan played out a 1-1 draw with Incheon United. Those results mean that there was no change in the top four, with the Tangerines continuing to trail the Horangi by five points.
After a bit of a shaky start to the season, in which he conceded two goals against Pohang Steelers, Kim Dong-jun is starting to show why he was given the confidence of the manager in being named the number one goalkeeper prior to the season. After blanking the Sky Blues, making several key saves in the process, he now has five clean sheets in seven appearances for his new club, having not allowed a goal since opening day.
Joo Min-kyu has proven to be a more dynamic player this year as his assist total at three right now is higher than all of last season. He scored three goals against Ulsan last season, and would love to find the back of the net against his former club, having scored just once this year.
The current leaders are undefeated this year and have benefitted from the acquisition of Leonardo, who has taken on the scoring load after several off-season departures, giving the team its first true striking option since Junior Negrão left to go to China.
There were a lot of questions surrounding the club prior to the start of the campaign, but they have silenced their critics with good performances thus far and look early favorites to end Jeonbuk Hyundai's five year run at the top. A win against Jeju would give them even more breathing space but both sides have been strong defensively and this one could well be decided by nuances in the end.
Team of the Round
Jeonbuk Hyundai (vs Suwon Samsung Bluewings Tue. 5th April - 19:00)
After another title-winning success in 2021, Jeonbuk Hyundai have faltered out of the gates in the early stages of the new season as their 2-1 win over Gangwon FC was just their second of the year, moving them up to eighth in the table. What else could solve the rut that they have found themselves in but a matchup with Suwon Samsung Bluewings, a team they beat three out of four times last season, including a 4-0 thrashing in Final A.
The Jeonbuk attack hasn't been very effective this year, with Gustavo and Stanislav Iljutcenko managing just a single goal between them in the first seven matches. The Russian was on the bench for the match against Gangwon but could get the nod in the starting eleven with the quick turnaround from the weekend. His record against Bluewings has been more than solid - in seven matches against them, he has registered four goals and two assists, so based on that track record, he should at least warrant consideration for playing time.
Kim Bo-kyung leads the team with two goals, but as a group, they have only scored five thus far. While it is a very worrying statistic, but as has been the case in the past, the five-time defending champions have always known how to get up for a match against Suwon, so they can't be counted out and definitely not overlooked. Could this be the match to put them out of their early season slump?
Player of the Round
Cho Gue-sung (vs Seongnam FC Wed. 6th April - 19:00)
The Gimcheon Sangmu striker has been the quickest out of the gate in the first seven rounds already with five goals under his belt in 2022. He has played all but three minutes this year and has scored in back to back matches against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings, both draws, after bagging his first goal of the season in a 3-2 win against Pohang Steelers on the second matchday and followed that up with a brace against FC Seoul in 2-0 win a week later.
His loan spell with Gimcheon will end in early September when he will return to his parent club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. In the meantime, he has an opportunity for consistent playing time and is also enjoying the benefit of being in the national team setup. If his performances continue to inspire, he might even warrant consideration as Paulo Bento's number one striker when the World Cup kicks off in Qatar in November of this year.
For the time being, he will be more than satisfied with his current form, as his goal participation rate currently stands at 71 percent, one of the highest in the league. This will be his first senior appearance against Seongnam FC. He played against them at the U-18 level for FC Anyang and scored in a 2-1 win, a Round of 16 match in the K League U-18 Championship all the way back in 2015.
Elsewhere in K League 1 Round 8
In other action around the league in midweek, Daegu face an important test when they welcome Incheon United on Tuesday night. They may feel a bit unlucky not to have won over the weekend, but home turf has been kind to them this season where they have lost only once, an opening weekend failure against FC Seoul. They will also be looking to get back in the win column, as they are winless in their last two matches.
Pohang Steelers are home to Suwon FC on Wednesday night, while FC Seoul host Gangwon FC, looking to turn their season in the right direction after having gained just six points in their first seven matches, leaving them currently in eleventh spot in the table.
K League 1 Table
Suspensions
Kim Hyun-tae (Seongnam FC), one match remains
K League 1 Round 8 Fixtures
Tuesday 5th April
#SSBvJEO: Suwon Samsung Bluewings (10th) vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (8th) - 19:00
#JEJvULS: Jeju United (3rd) vs Ulsan Hyundai (1st) - 19:30
#DAEvINC: Daegu FC (6th) vs Incheon United (2nd) - 19:30
Wednesday 6th April
#SFCvGIM: Seongnam FC (12th) vs Gimcheon Sangmu (5th) - 19:00
#POHvSUW: Pohang Steelers (4th) vs Suwon FC (9th) - 19:30
#SEOvGAN: FC Seoul (11th) vs Gangwon FC (7th) - 19:30
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K League United Senior Columnist
