For the seven K League teams still in the competition, attention now turns to the FA Cup which has reached the quarterfinal stage. The only all-K League 1 clash seems Gangwon FC host Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Daegu FC take on neighbours from North Gyeongsang Province, Gimcheon Sangmu, the POSCO Derby sees Jeonnam Dragons host Pohang Steelers, and last year's runners up take on giant-killing K3 side Yangju Citizen.
Wednesday 11th August 2021
Gangwon FC (KL1) vs Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KL1) - 19:00 KST
Gangwon FC will be hoping to progress past the FA Cup quarterfinal for the first time in their history when they meet Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Wednesday. However, the visitors are the most successful side in the competition, winning it on five occasions, making this no small task for the Bears. Nevertheless, Kim Byung-soo’s men will be buoyed by a 3-0 win against their opposition just over a week ago, and will no doubt look towards that performance for inspiration.
With both teams having somewhat unpredictable form, on paper this tie should be an exciting one. The stakes are obvious, with a place in the semifinal up for grabs, but both Gangwon and the Bluewings will be thinking of more. The former will want to impress in front of their fans, building up momentum and confidence in the process. The latter want to address their slide in form, and will be looking towards a spot in the final four of this competition to do so. This will be the first ever FA Cup meeting between the two sides and the winners will take on either Daegu FC or Gimcheon Sangmu in the semis.
Daegu FC (KL1) vs Gimcheon Sangmu (KL2) - 19:00 KST
Something of a local derby sees Daegu FC take on North Gyeongsang Province neighbours Gimcheon Sangmu for what will be the first meeting between the two teams. Winners of the 2018 FA Cup, Daegu, head into Wednesday's cup tie on the back of two consecutive 2-1 losses, however, and have just one win in their last five. The Sky Blues, then, will be hoping that their cup form can get them back to winning ways. Lee Byung-keun's side fell short in the Round of 16 in both 2019 and 2020 and so have already better their campaigns from the last two years. A win against K League 2 Gimcheon would put them into a first semi since 2018 and only second in their history. Daegu have made to the quarters in four previous occasions.
Gimcheon Sangmu make the short trip across to DGB Daegu Bank Park sitting top of K League 2. The army side, which is in its first season in Gimcheon after moving from nearby Sangju, is on a run of four unbeaten with two wins and a draw. Under the team's previous guise as Sangju Sangmu, Kim Tae-wan's side made it to the semifinal in 2019 for what was the team's joint-best in the competition having also made it to the last four in 2014. The winners of this contest will take on the winners of Ganwon FC versus Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Ulsan Hyundai (KL1) vs Yangju Citizen (K3) - 19:00 KST
Ulsan Hyundai face Yangju Citizen in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. Hong Myung-bo’ side is at the top of the K League 1 table and looks to advance to the semifinals for the fifth time in six seasons. In the previous round, after an exciting round of penalties, Ulsan’s opponent Yangju Citizen defeated last year’s FA Cup winners – Jeonbuk Hyundai. However, Yangju are on a run of eight games without a win in K3 following the win over Jeonbuk. Wednesday will be their fifth match in the competition this year having knocked out Jinju Citizen, Gyeongju KHNP and FC Pocheon in the earlier rounds.
Ulsan Hyundai, however, will be determined to win and advance to the next round. Last year they were defeated by Jeonbuk Hyundai in the FA Cup final and so will be looking to go one better this time around. Ulsan beat Gyeongnam FC of K League 2 3-0 in the previous round to set up Wednesday's quarter final clash. Ulsan have lost just twice to non-K League opposition in their last 10 meetings with teams outside the top two divisions of Korean football, the most recent being in 2019 when the Horangi lost to eventual runners up Daejeon Korail. Yangju Citizen, meanwhile, have only faced K League opposition once before in the competition - the penalty shootout win over Jeonbuk in the Round of 16. While Ulsan Hyundai will be the favourites, Yangju Citizen has shown that they can’t be underestimated.
Jeonnam Dragons (KL2) vs Pohang Steelers (KL1) - 19:00 KST
Pohang Steelers will make the trip to the Gwangyang Football Stadium to take on Jeonnam Dragons in the FA Cup quarter-final this Wednesday. Pohang is coming into this match having picked up just one win in their last four matches. This is after a successful AFC Champions League Group Stage concluded with the Steelers securing their progress into the knockout rounds. Kim Gi-dong’s boys are currently in sixth position in the league standings but have just one win in their last five in all competitions.
On the other hand, Jeonnam Dragons have had an impressive season so far. They are currently in the race for the K League 2 title and in with a shout of getting promotion to the top flight. The Dragons are currently in second position in the league standings. However, they have had a mini slump in form, having claimed just one win in their last four matches. As such, both clubs are coming into this match on the back of similar sort of form. Therefore, this has all the makings of a classic cup clash.
