Children’s Day begins its three-day holiday including alternative holidays. The K-League 1 is also in full swing in the spring. The 11th round of “Hana Bank 2024 K-League 1” fills up the three-day holiday with two matches a day.
The start of the match is an “amazing” indeed. FC Seoul and Ulsan HD will face off at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. More than 36,000 seats have been booked as of Tuesday afternoon. “We expect more than 40,000 people to attend,” said an FC Seoul official. It is an exciting “big match.” Seoul broke its three-game losing streak in the last round and successfully rebounded. It won 2-0 in an away match against Suwon FC. There is a long way to go as it ranks seventh with 12 points (3 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses). However, if it catches a big fish named Ulsan, which aims at winning its third consecutive K-League 1 title, it can pave the way for a bigger leap forward.
Of course, Ulsan is not an easy match. Despite a murderous schedule in parallel with the Asian Champions League (ACL), the team has swept four consecutive wins. It has only one loss in the K-League 1 this season. Despite playing one less game, the team is ranking second with 20 points (6 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). The team is only one point shy of the top-ranked Pohang Steelers (21 points, 6 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss). In the recent two games with Jeju United (3-1 win) and Daegu FC (2-1 win), the team showed off its hindsight to secure come-from-behind wins.
In the three matches last year, Ulsan prevailed with two wins and one draw. Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong led Pohang until last year and fought tooth and nail with Ulsan in the East Coast derby. “Ulsan is a strong team, but soccer is a game with variables. That’s why fans cheer and love it. I will do my best to prepare for that variable,” he said. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo, who played the last round a day later than Seoul, said, “I will prepare well for the two days and play.” Another interesting point to note is the “Ssangyong derby” between Lee Chung-yong (Ulsan) and Ki Sung-yueng (Seoul), who both played in the same team in Seoul in the past.
The match between Pohang and Jeonbuk Hyundai, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. on the same day, is also notable. Pohang no longer has a mysterious code. After losing 0-1 in this season’s opening game against Ulsan, the team has been undefeated in nine consecutive games (6 wins and 3 draws). In an away game against Gangwon FC on Tuesday, the team regained the top spot by winning a landslide 4-2 victory by banking on Jeong Jae-hee’s hat trick. “Man of extra time in the second half,” Jeong Jae-hee scored three goals during the regular season to score her seventh goal, instantly becoming the leading scorer in a row. Pohang is also proud of having lost the least number of goals (eight goals).
Jeonbuk seemed to be stabilizing after Dan Petrescu left. It gained momentum by posting two wins and one draw under acting coach Park Won-jae, before being completely defeated by Incheon United 0-3 on Wednesday. Jeonbuk is ranking eighth with 10 points (two wins, four draws and four losses), but its points are the same as those of Jeju (3 wins, six draws and six losses) and Daejeon (2 wins, four draws and four losses), both of which are at the bottom of the list. It is still at the bottom of the list. Pohang had no loss to Jeonbuk in the last season with three wins and one draw.
On Saturday, the Children’s Day, Suwon FC and Gangwon FC will meet at 2 p.m. at Suwon Stadium, and Gimcheon Sangmu and Incheon will meet at 4:30 p.m. at Gimcheon Stadium. Suwon FC (15, 4 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses) ranked fourth stopped at three consecutive wins, while Gangwon FC (12, 3 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses), ranked sixth, has been mired in consecutive losses. Gimcheon (20 points, 6 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), ranking third with no loss for five consecutive games (3 wins, 2 losses), is lagging behind Ulsan in scores. Reclaiming the lead is within the range. Incheon FC (13, 3 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses), which ranks fifth, is committed to continuing its upward trajectory, which beat Jeonbuk, although midfielder Lee Myung-joo’s departure is painful. 스포츠토토
Jeju and Daegu will face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Jeju World Cup Stadium, and Daejeon Hana Citizen will face off at 4:30 p.m. at the Gwangju Football Stadium. Jeju needs to escape from its four-game losing streak, while Daegu desperately needs its new coach Park Chang-hyun to win for the first time in a row. Gwangju beat Jeju 3-1 on Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak. Daejeon will seek to win four consecutive games without losing any points. Gwangju (nine wins, three losses) is in 11th place, while Daegu (eight points, one win, five draws, four losses), the lowest, is also struggling to make it to the last place.