The final Super Match of 2022 is a fixture that holds great importance for both teams. Suwon Samsung Bluewings currently sit in the bottom three and so need the three points in their bid to avoid relegation. FC Seoul, meanwhile, are only four points above Suwon and so could get dragged into the relegation dogfight should they fail to secure the three points this Sunday. Hosts Suwon Bluewings won last time out, earning a 2-0 away win over Seongnam FC, a victory which ended a run of four matches without a win. FC Seoul suffered back-to-back losses to Daegu FC in rounds 33 and 34 but will be buoyed by the FA Cup semifinal win over the Sky Blues on Wednesday night.
Sunday's clash is the 99th Super Match. FC Seoul have the slight advantage with 39 wins to Suwon's 35 and 24 draws. Over the last 10, too, Seoul have picked up six wins to Suwon's three and one draw. However, it was the Bluewings who came out on top when these two sides last met. A brace from Oh Hyeong-gyu and a first Super Match goal for An Byong-jun earned Suwon a 3-1 win in the capital at beginning of September. One battle to keep an eye on will be Dave Bulthuis versus Stanislav Iljutcenko. The duo has faced each other in one of K League's other major derby matches, the East Coast Derby, when at Ulsan and Pohang respectively and will do so for the second time in the Super Match this Sunday. Having both played in Germany they came up against each other in 2. Bundesliga in 2015 when Bulthuis was with Nürnberg and Iljutcenko with MSV Duisburg.
Team of the Round
Gangwon FC (vs. Incheon United, Sat. 8th October - 19:00)
Having already achieved their first target of the campaign, a top-six finish, Gangwon can now start to look further up the table. Back-to-back wins over Jeju United, one before Final Round and one after it began, have put Gangwon FC firmly in the hunt for fourth place. Choi Yong-soo's side now have three wins from their last five matches, six from 10 and 11 from 17. The time has been free-scoring, too, with 49 goals so far - the fourth-highest goal tally in the division. The Bears have been helped by the scintillating form of Kim Dae-won who now has 11 goals and 13 assists this season. Up next for Gangwon is the visit of Incheon United, the side that sits directly above them in the table. A win would taken them into fourth and in the driving seat to seal a possible place in the AFC Champions League should Jeonbuk win the FA Cup.
Player of the Round
Cesinha, Daegu FC (vs. Suwon FC, Sun. 9th October - 19:00)
Daegu FC may have exited the FA Cup but things are looking up for the Sky Blues in terms of their top-flight status. Back-to-back league wins over FC Seoul moved Daegu up to ninth in the table, out of the relegation zone. Brazilian star Cesinha has been pivotal for Daegu during their three-match unbeaten run in the league, scoring four to take his tally for the season up to 10. Cesinha is joint-top of K League's shooting charts with 89, level with Fejsal Mulić of Seongnam, and top for shots dispatched from outside the area with 64. His shooting accuracy is one of the best in K League 1, also, sitting third. This weekend, Cesinha and Daegu take on Suwon FC. There have been plenty of goals scored in this fixture this season, 11 in fact. Cesinha scored two in the 4-3 loss to Suwon back in March this year.
Elsewhere in K League 1 Round 35
Pohang Steelers versus Jeju United will get Round 35 up and running on Saturday at 2 PM. Pohang will be looking to solidify their hold on third place while Jeju will be keen to return to winning ways having lost their last two and with no wins in three.
The Match of the Round is Ulsan Hyundai versus Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Saturday afternoon. Ulsan sit five points clear of their North Jeolla counterparts and so a win for either team would have a huge effect on the title race. Full preview coming soon...
On Sunday, Seongnam FC travel to Gimcheon Sangmu knowing that anything less than a win will mean relegation to K League 2. The Magpies are currently 10 points adrift with 12 left to play for and so even a draw with the team directly above them would not be enough.
K League 1 Table
K League 1 Round 35 Fixtures
Saturday 8th October
Final A
#POHvJEJ: Pohang Steelers (3rd) vs Jeju United (6th) - 14:00
#ULSvJEO: Ulsan Hyundai (1st) vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2nd) - 16:30
#GANvINC: Gangwon FC (5th) vs Incheon United (4th) - 19:00
Sunday 9th October
Final B
#SuperMatch: Suwon Samsung Bluewings (10th) vs FC Seoul (8th) - 14:00
#GIMvSFC: Gimcheon Sangmu (11th) vs Seongnam FC (12th) - 16:30
#DAEvSUW: Daegu FC (9th) vs Suwon FC (7th) - 19:00
Paul Neat
Managing Editor
