Jeonbuk-Jeju, the ‘two-point’ ranking battle you can’t afford to miss
In the 20th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023, Jeonbuk and Jeju will meet. The two teams are currently four places apart in the standings, with Jeonbuk (27 points) in eighth place and Jeju (29 points) in fourth, but only two points separate them.
Therefore, this will be an even more intense matchup as the outcome of this match could change the standings for both teams.
For starters, the home side Jeonbuk had won three straight matches before the A-Match break, but they stumbled in their last match, losing 0-2 to Gwangju in Round 19. This was especially disappointing as the match marked the debut of head coach Dan Petrescu.
However, Jeonbuk met Gwangju again in the FA Cup quarterfinals midweek, this time with a 4-0 victory. Jo Kyu-sung, Song Min-kyu, and Amano all found the back of the net in this match, including a multi-goal performance.
The visitors had a strong month of May with four wins and one draw, but have gone winless in June with two draws and two losses. At one point, Jeju was on a five-game winning streak and climbed as high as second place, so they’ll need to slowly build momentum to get back into the top half of the table. Jeju snapped their losing streak with a 1-1 draw in their previous match in the 19th round, and then defeated top-ranked Ulsan in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup quarterfinals in midweek. Kim Seung-seop in particular has emerged as Jeju’s new hope, scoring back-to-back goals in both matches. Jeju lost key resources Lee Chang-min to military enlistment on March 12 and Ahn Hyun-beom to a shoulder injury, but younger players like Kim Bong-soo and Lee Ki-hyuk are expected to fill the void.
Meanwhile, Jeonbuk and Jeju have played four wins, four draws and two losses in their last 10 matches, with Jeonbuk dominating, including a 2-0 win in their last meeting in the eighth round. Song Min-kyu and Han Gyo-won both scored for Jeonbuk in that match. The second meeting of the season between the two teams will take place on Saturday, July 1 at 6 p.m. at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.
Pohang reclaimed second place (34 points) with a 1-0 victory over Incheon in Round 19. The win extends Pohang’s unbeaten streak to three matches (W2 D1 L1).
This season’s K League 1 has been dominated by Ulsan, with Pohang, Seoul, and Jeju alternating in second place. Therefore, the race for second place is even more intense than the race for the title this season. 메이저사이트
In order for Pohang to consolidate their second place position and close the gap between themselves and the third and fourth place teams, they will need to win more and more games in a row. Pohang has only lost three games this season, but they have won nine and drawn seven. Pohang has also gone 13 games without a win after posting back-to-back wins in Rounds 1, 2, 5, and 6, respectively.
However, Pohang’s strengths this season are also evident. Pohang has only lost once in 19 rounds, and has been able to withstand injuries to its main players. With key resources like Jung Jae-hee, Kim Jong-woo, and Shim Sang-min currently sidelined with injuries, and the team’s top scorer, Ko Young-joon, sidelined with an injury in the previous round, Pohang has been able to make do with their gums where there are no teeth.