The unrelenting K League schedule serves up yet more mid-week action. Can Ulsan Hyundai maintain their healthy lead at the top of the table? Will Seongnam FC be able to close the gap between themselves and Gangwon FC in 11th? Will FC Seoul be able to keep their place in the top six? All that and more as we look ahead to 2022 Hana 1Q K League 1 Round 13.

Tuesday 17th May 2022

#SSBvGIM: Suwon Samsung Bluewings (9th) vs Gimcheon Sangmu (7th)  - 19:00 KST

Getting Round 13 underway, Suwon Samsung Bluewings host Gimcheon Sangmu on the back of a last gasp win at home to Seongnam FC at the weekend. Jeon Jin-woo, formerly known as Jeon Se-jin, fired in a 93rd- minute equaliser for what was his first goal since 2018. It was Suwon's second 1-0 win in three matches and second under new boss Lee Byung-keun who took over following the departure of Park Kun-ha. 

Three Suwon players currently on military service could line up to face their parent club come Tuesday night; Ko Seung-beum, Kwon Chang-hoon, and Park Sang-hyeok are all three attacking midfielders who could clip Suwon's blue wings. Gimcheon make the long trip north to Suwon, for what is their first-ever visit to Big Bird, on the back of a 1-1 draw with Daegu FC. Kim Tae-wan's men thought they had done enough to earn all three points but Yoo In-soo's 22nd-minute strike was cancelled out at the death by Cesinha, deep into injury time. Gimcheon are now on a run of just one win in five in all competitions. The first league meeting of 2022 ended as a 1-1 draw, as did the FA Cup tie which followed a few weeks later. Suwon, though, went through on pens. 

#INCvDAE: Incheon United (3rd) vs Daegu FC (8th) - 19:30 KST

Incheon United take on Daegu FC in the slightly later kick-off on Tuesday with Jo Sung-hwan's men looking to return to winning ways. Incheon found themselves 2-0 up away to Ulsan Hyundai last time out only to let their lead slip to draw 2-2. The stalemate means that the Durumi are on a run of just one win in five with three draws and have slipped to third place in the table. However, star striker Stefan Mugoša is now on a run of eight goals in his last eight having scored an audacious chip against Ulsan at the weekend.

Daegu FC, meanwhile, came back from the dead to earn a late draw last time out to extend their unbeaten run to three. The manner in which the points were earned in said three matches will give Daegu boss Alexandre Gama reason to believe in his players too, with last-minute equalisers against Pohang and Gimcheon either side of the comprehensive 3-0 win over Suwon Bluewings. Incheon won the first meeting between the two sides this season, earning a 2-1 win in April courtesy of a Stefan Mugoša brace with two spot-kicks. This was despite Incheon being down to 10 men due to Kim Dong-mins 32nd-minute red card. A win for Incheon on Tuesday would go a long way in maintain their place in the top three while a win for Daegu could be the difference in moving into the top six.

Wednesday 18th May 2022

#ULSvJEJ: Ulsan Hyundai (1st) vs Jeju United (2nd) - 19:00 KST

The top two collide at the Munsu on Wednesday night as Ulsan Hyundai host Jeju United. Both Ulsan and Jeju will be full of confidence heading into Wednesday's meeting having both come from behind to put points on the board in their last matches. Ulsan fought back from two goals down to earn a draw at home to Incheon United thanks to goals from Japanese midfielder Jun Amano and yet another goal from Brazilian ace Leandro in the 70th minute. Jeju, meanwhile, went a goal down away to Suwon FC on Sunday but earned a 3-1 win with two late goals, one each from Kim Ju-gong and Lee Chang-min.

Nam Ki-il's men are now on a run of three straight wins, are four unbeaten and will know that a win over Ulsan would narrow the gap down to just two points. Ulsan won the first meeting between the two sides this season, easing past the islanders in a 2-1 victory with goals from Jun Amano and Um Won-sang. Kim Oh-kyu was on the scoresheet for Jeju on that occasion but the centre back will be suspended for Wednesday's match. Should Jeju beat Ulsan, it would be their first win over the Horangi since November 2018, nine meetings ago.

#POHvJEO: Pohang Steelers (4th) vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (5th) - 19:00 KST

Also kicking off at 7:00 PM on Wednesday is Pohang Steelers versus Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Pohang had been second heading into the weekend's fixtures but a loss to FC Seoul, coupled with Jeju's win, saw the Steelers slip to fourth. It was Pohang's first loss in six in the league and only the second time this season that Kim Ki-dong's men had failed to score. 

Opponents Jeonbuk, meanwhile, came from behind to draw with Gangwon FC last time out. The point was enough to move the Green Warriors up to fifth and level on points with Pohang. Amongst the Jeonbuk ranks are a couple of former Pohang Steelers players, forwards Stanislav Iljutcenko and Song Min-kyu. Both were on the bench last time out and whereas Iljutencko earned a cameo appearance, Song was an unused substitute. In three appearances against his former employers, Iljutcenko has scored two - a brace in a 3-1 win in April 2021. Song, meanwhile, has played against Pohang twice but is yet to score against the team he began his career with. The first meeting of 2022 ended in a 1-0 Pohang win thanks to a Jeong Jae-hee strike in the 74th minute. 

#SFCvSUW: Seongnam FC (12th vs Suwon FC (10th) - 19:30 KST

Two sides looking to bounce back from defeats at the weekend lock horns this Wednesday night as Seongnam FC take on Suwon FC. Seongnam remain rooted to the foot of the table, still with just one league win this season and with a run of six straight losses in the league. Kim Nam-il's side have a six-point deficit to make up in order to move away from 12th place. Furthermore, with 24 goals conceded, Seongnam have the leakiest defence in the top flight. 

But only one goal behind is the Magpies' opponents this Wednesday, Suwon FC, who have shipped 23. Three of the 23 were conceded last Sunday in the 3-1 loss to Jeju United and two of those were after the 90th minute. Seongnam have gone behind nine times in games so far this season, going on to lose all nine matches. Suwon FC, meanwhile, have also gone behind in nine but have managed one win and one draw. At the other end of the pitch, Suwon have taken the lead in six matches so far this term and have gone on to win three, draw one, and lose two. Seongnam, meanwhile, have taken the lead three times but have won just once, drawn once and lost once. The first meeting this season was a genuine K League classic with both sides trading blows in a 4-3, seven goal-thriller. It was Seongnam's only win this season thanks to goals from Fejsal Mulić, a Shin Jae-won own goal, Park Soo-il, and Kim Min-hyeok. 

#GANvSEO: Gangwon FC (11th) vs FC Seoul (6th) - 19:30 KST

Gangwon FC ended the 2021 season in 11th place and that's where they find themselves at present after a run of eight games without a win with four losses. But, on Sunday, Gangwon picked up a very credible 1-1 draw away to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Kim Dae-won had Gangwon 1-0 up after 84 minutes with a goal which looked to be enough to earn a valuable win but Modou Barrow had other ideas, equalising just four minutes later. Up next for Gangwon is the visit of FC Seoul and manager Choi Yong-soo's former employers.

As well as Choi, Yu Sang-hun, Yun Suk-young, and Kim Won-gun have all spent time on the books at FC Seoul and all three will be looking to help Gangwon get revenge after what happened in the last meeting between the two sides. At Sangam in early April, Gangwon earned themselves a 2-0 lead thanks to a brace by Kim Dae-won. However, a Na Sang-ho spot-kick on 68 minutes narrowed the deficit before Han Seung-gyu steered home a 76th-minute equaliser to see the spoils shared. Revenge won't be easy, though, as Seoul are in form having picked up three wins on the spin and have moved up to sixth. The most recent win was against Pohang thanks to a Na Sang-ho strike in the second half. The capital club are now on a run of six unbeaten. 

Where to Watch

Incheon United versus Daegu FC and Ulsan Hyundai versus Jeju United have been selected for overseas broadcast by K League's international broadcast partners. Details can be found here.

However, all games are available on K League TV.