Match of the Round
Daegu FC (3rd) vs Suwon Samsung Bluewings (6th)
Daegu FC will host Suwon Samsung Bluewings this Sunday looking to extend their unbeaten streak to eight games. Before the international break, the Sky Blues drew against Suwon FC and FC Seoul but prior to that, they managed to get three wins in a row. Daegu sit third in the table, four points clear of fourth-placed Suwon FC. Although the top two Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai seem to be out of reach, Daegu are in the driving seat for third place with a four-point cushion over Suwon FC.
Suwon Samsung Bluewings head into the weekend with hopes of keeping hold of sixth place and a spot in the upper half of the table. Over the last five matches, the Bluewings have won twice, drawn once and lost twice but can take comfort in the 1-0 win over Incheon United last time out. Suwon need a positive result to ensure that their destiny is in their own hands. This season Daegu FC and Suwon Bluewings have faced each other twice. Sunday’s hosts won 1-0 in April and the last game between them ended in a 1-1 draw. The historical record is, however, heavily in favour of the Bluewings as they have won 23 meetings and lost only six times.
Team of the Round
Pohang Steelers
Kim Gi-dong’s Pohang Steelers side managed to achieve great success in the AFC Champions League this week by defeating Nagoya Grampus 3-0 and then beating Ulsan Hyundai on penalties to reach the final. However, they still have a lot to fight for in K League 1 this season. Currently, they are in seventh place with 42 points, just as many as sixth-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings. In order to get to the upper half of the table, Pohang will need to overcome any exhaustion from their midweek ACL semifinal which saw them go 120 minutes and into penalties against rivals Ulsan Hyundai. This weekend, Pohang take on Incheon United but there might be some changes to the starting lineup as some key players such as Lim Sang-hyub have played 210 minutes of high-level football in the last week alone. But, confidence will be high among the Steelers players, particularly Alex Grant, who headed in the late equaliser against Ulsan to force extra time, and vice skipper Kang Sang-woo who blasted home the winning penalty.
Player of the Round
Jo Hyeon-woo
Ulsan Hyundai goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo has been ever-present for Hong Myung-bo this season having featured in all of the Horangi's previous 32 league matches The Korean international has also been one of the best goalkeepers in the whole K League 1 this season managing to get 13 clean sheets, the most alongside Jeonbuk Hyundai’s goalkeeper, Song Bum-keun. Ulsan will definitely be feeling the fatigue having played two AFC Champions League games which went on to extra time during the last week. Therefore Ulsan’s goalkeeper might have plenty of opportunities to show his quality as he has done so many times already this season.
K League 1 Table
K League 1 Round 24 Fixtures
Sunday 24th October 2021
#SFCvULS: Seongnam FC (11th) vs Ulsan Hyundai (1st) - 15:00
#GANvSEO: Gangwon FC (8th) vs FC Seoul (10th) - 15:00
#SUWvGWA: Suwon FC (4th) vs Gwangju FC (12th) - 15:00
#POHvINC: Pohang Steeler (7th) vs Incheon United (9th) - 15:00
#JEJvJEO: Jeju United (5th) vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2nd) - 15:00
#DAEvSSB: Daegu FC (3rd) vs Suwon Samsung Bluewings (6th) - 15:00
Where to Watch
Fans in countries with K League overseas broadcasting rights can follow selected games live on television. More information can be found
here.
Alternatively, the matches are also available for FREE on
tv.kleague.com
Mateusz Janczak
KLeague.com Contributor
