Professional soccer’s K League 1 is back for the second half of the season after a short break. From the first game of the resumption, there will be exciting matches, including a head-to-head battle between the second and third place teams and a derby between two Suwon teams in a ‘battle for survival’.
On the 27th, K League 1 hosted the K League All-Star Game between Team K League and Atletico Madrid (Spain) through the Coupang Players League, and took a two-week break for the All-Star Break before and after the game.
After taking a breather from the hectic summer schedule, the K League 1 will resume on the 4th with exciting matchups and enter the second half of the race with more intense competition.
There are a lot of eye-catching matches from the first day of resumption. On June 4 at 7:30 p.m., the league’s second-place Pohang Steelers (44 points) and third-place FC Seoul (37 points) will face off at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
With Ulsan Hyundai (56 points) in the driver’s seat, Seoul can close the gap to four points with a win, while Pohang can extend their lead to 10 points with a victory.
Pohang, who were on a two-game winning streak before the break, remain a threat despite a number of injuries to key players.
Seoul, who are hungry for a frontline striker after the departure of Hwang Eui-Jo (Nottingham), will look to Bjorn Johnson, the lanky striker they brought in during the summer transfer window.
Team K League’s Lee Sun-min celebrates after scoring a late goal during the first leg of the 2023 Coupang Play Series match between Team K League and Atletico Madrid (AT Madrid) at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, on July 27.
At the same time on the same day, Daejeon Hana Citizen takes on ‘promotion-motivated’ Gwangju FC at Gwangju Football Stadium.
Gwangju’s Lee Sun-min, who scored a thrilling goal in a Team K League match, and Daejeon’s Bae Joon-ho, who was impressed by Atletico Madrid, will enter the league with more confidence.
The ‘Suwon Derby‘ between Suwon Samsung and Suwon FC will take place at 7 p.m. on May 5 at Suwon World Cup Stadium.
With only two points separating 11th-place Suwon (18) and 10th-place Suwon FC (20), this match could change the standings. It’s a must-win game for both teams as they look to climb up to ninth place, which is the automatic qualification line.
Suwon suffered a major setback at one point, falling to the bottom of the table, but they’ve been on a roll lately with a five-match unbeaten streak (2 wins, 3 draws). Their momentum is second to none.
Suwon FC has conceded the most goals (51) in the combined K League 1 and 2 this season, including a 2-7 loss to Seoul on July 12.
With Paju NFC overhauling its organization during the All-Star break, it will be important to see a different look in the first game of the second half.
The same day, Daegu FC and Ulsan Hyundai will meet at 7:30 p.m. at Daegu DGB Park.
Ulsan manager Hong Myung-bo and Daegu coach Choi Won-kwon, who collaborated on dramatic upsets as manager and head coach, respectively, in Team K League, will meet as adversaries in a battle of wits just one week later.
On the 6th, Jeonbuk Hyundai and Incheon United will face off at Jeonju World Cup Stadium at 7pm.
Jeonbuk will be more fatigued than the other K League 1 teams, having played a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) three days earlier, but the confidence gained from playing against a European powerhouse is a huge asset.
Incheon’s previous pace was good enough to make the break a disappointment. They went on a three-game winning streak, taking down Ulsan, Daejeon, and Seoul. They also won 1-0 against Lehman (Hong Kong) in their 20th anniversary match during the break.
It’s important to keep the momentum going in the post-restart game, and it’s encouraging to see Mugosa back in the team for 45 minutes against Lehman.
The two teams will also meet in the FA Cup quarterfinals at the same venue on Sept. 9, three days after this match.
On the 6th, Jeju United will take on Gangwon FC at Jeju World Cup Stadium at 7:30pm.
With three draws and six losses in nine league games, Jeju has slipped to ninth place (30 points). 한국야동 They need to rebound against last-place Gangwon or risk falling into the relegation zone.
Bottom-placed Gangwon (16 points) are resting their hopes on the toes of newcomers Gabriel-Wellington “Brazilian Duo” after the departure of Yang Hyun-joon to Celtic (Scotland).
