In this week’s marquee match, Pohang Steelers welcome FC Seoul to the Steelyard. The hosts saw a 19-match home unbeaten run come to an end last time out when Gimcheon Sangmu triumphed 2-1 thanks to goals from Kim Dae-won and Yu Kang-hyun. As a result, Pohang have dropped into third place. Still, there are plenty of attacking positives for the Steelers to take going forward, given they managed an xG of 1.26 from 10 shots, 16 high recoveries, 34 positional attacks, seven accurate crosses, and 59 accurate passes to the final third against the military side.
As for FC Seoul, back-to-back wins have kept them in sixth, with efficiency being key to maintaining strong form. In a 1-0 away Gyeongin Derby triumph, the capital city side may have only took three shots on target, and created an xG of 0.34, but their success in shutting Incheon out (the Durumi had just a single shot on target, and Seoul won 44 of their 64 defensive duels) paid dividends, highlighting that Kim Gi-dong’s men are more than willing to see games through however necessary.
In two of the three meetings between these sides this year, Pohang have came out on the winning side, extending their unbeaten run in this fixture to six (four draws, two wins). This includes last month’s Korea Cup clash, where the Steelers asserted dominance across a comprehensive 5-1 win.
Gwangju FC (vs. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Fri. 9th August - 19:30)
On the back of consecutive victories, Gwangju FC will have renewed ambitions of a Final A finish this year. The Griffins were defensively impressive in a 1-0 win over Suwon FC prior to the break, with an xGA total of just 0.4, 40 of their 58 defensive duels won, and only two shots on target conceded in addition to the completion of 39 interceptions and 21 clearances. This all helped Gwangju to their fifth cleansheet of 2024, while demonstrating more of a structured edge to a team that last year stood out for their commitment to free-flowing football.
This weekend, Gwangju travel to Jeonju for a face-off with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who dropped to 11th following a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Gangwon FC in Round 25. With two wins, two losses and one draw in their last five games though, the Green Warriors are showing some relatively improved form, albeit amidst signs their leaky defence (47 goals conceded from an xGA of 43.81) still needs imminently solidifying. Optimistically, Jeonbuk have won all of their last five clashes with Gwangju, which includes an impressive 3-0 win back in round 13 of this season.
Player of the Round
Kim Dae-won, Gimcheon Sangmu (vs. Gangwon FC, Fri. 9th August - 19:30)
With a goal and assist in a 2-1 away win against Pohang Steelers, Kim Dae-won was a standout performer for Gimcheon Sangmu as they rose back to the top of K League 1. In addition to his game-winning contributions, the 27-year-old winger completed two accurate crosses, one successful dribble, four interceptions, two recoveries in the opposition half, four progressive runs, four shot assists, and two accurate passes to the final third.
Up next for Gimcheon is Gangwon FC. The Bears have returned to form in style over the last two matches, scoring eight times, and conceding just twice across a pair of emphatic victories. Thus, Gangwon have moved up to second, boasting 46 goals scored from their 25 games, from an xG of 38.25. With that being said, Gimcheon have won both of the meetings between these sides this year, so will form a tough test for Yoon Jong-hwan’s men on Friday.
Elsewhere in K League 1
Kicking off the Kim Pan-gon era at home,
Ulsan HD FC host
Daegu FC. The Horangi have suffered back-to-back defeats, however, and so the team will want to hit the ground running under their new manager to keep their hopes of a title challenge firmly alive. Across 2024, Ulsan still rank first for xG (38.90), and for touches in the opposition box (517). Daegu, meanwhile, have drawn four out of their last five matches, unable to garner the momentum that would lift them out of the promotion/relegation playoff spots. Nevertheless, the Sky Blues are starting to show some more attacking verve, with an average xG of 1.47 across their last five matches. With all of the above in mind, Ulsan have won eight of their last 10 games against Daegu, and are unbeaten in this fixture since September 2021.
After an important 1-0 victory over Ulsan, Jeju United will look to keep building form when they welcome Incheon United. The Tangerines were impressive last time out, creating an xG of 1.13 from 15 shots, making nine high recoveries, limiting their opposition to two attempts on target, and completing 28 passes to the final third, so are bound to have confidence that they can keep themselves in with a chance of a top-half finish going forward. As for Incheon, consecutive losses have left them just two points ahead of 11th, and hoping that new manager Choi Yong-geun can make an instant impact this weekend. Negatively for the Durumi, Jeju have already beaten them twice this year, both times by a 1-0 scoreline.
Continuing, Suwon FC face off with Daejeon Hana Citizen this Saturday. For the hosts, their aim will be to immediately bounce back after Gwangju broke their six-game unbeaten run last time out. This season, Kim Eun-jung’s men have generally struck a solid balance across the pitch, ranking second in passes to the final third (1488), fifth for xG (35.17), while eighth for xGA (31.86), and for overall goals conceded (33). Daejeon, though, are in bottom place, with three draws from their last five games giving optimism of some stability, but still leaving the team in need of picking up wins sooner rather than later to have a strong chance of survival. In 2024, the Purples rank lowest for xG (25.26), shots taken (214), and touches in the opposition box (348), while coming in third for xGA (36.48). On both occasions these teams have met this year, Suwon have come out on the winning side.
K League 1 Table
K League 1 Round 26 Fixtures
Friday 9th August
#JEOvGWA: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (11th) vs. Gwangju FC (7th) - 19:30 [ENG]
#GIMvGAN: Gimcheon Sangmu (1st) vs. Gangwon FC (2nd) - 19:30
Saturday 10th August
#ULSvDAE: Ulsan HD FC (4th) vs. Daegu FC (10th) - 19:00 [ENG]
#JEJvINC: Jeju United (8th) vs. Incheon United (9th) - 19:30
#SUWvDHFC: Suwon FC (5th) vs. Daejeon Hana Citizen (12th) - 19:30
Sunday 11th August
#POHvSEO: Pohang Steelers (3rd) vs. FC Seoul (6th) - 19:00 [ENG]
Where to Watch
