With three games to go before the end of the K League One season, Ulsan Hyundai has clinched its second straight title. While Ulsan’s victory might seem like it would take the wind out of the sails, it’s a different story when you turn your attention to the bottom of the standings. The battle for second place between Gangwon FC and Suwon Samseong is a hotly contested one.
After missing last weekend’s game due to FA Cup commitments, Gangwon and Suwon will travel to the upcoming 36th round, determined to win. Gangwon travels to Daejeon, the site of a “ball boy feud” two years ago, while Suwon travels to Suwon FC, a team based in the same city.굿모닝토토 주소
Gangwon is currently in 11th place with 4 W, 15 D, 16 L (27 points), one point ahead of last-place Suwon Samsung (6 W, 8 D, 21 L, 26 points).
The difference between 11th and 12th place is huge. The 12th place finisher in K League 1 will be relegated directly to K League 2. On the other hand, the 11th place team will play a home-and-home with the second-place team in K-League 2 and still have a chance to stay up.
They need three points to avoid falling to the bottom of the table, and Daejeon is a tricky match for Gangwon. Daejeon has already clinched a spot in the top flight, but they can’t take the game lightly due to bad blood from two years ago.
Back in 2021, Daejeon faced Gangwon in the relegation playoffs. Daejeon won the first leg 1-0 at Anbang, but lost the second leg 1-4 to fall to 2-4.
In the second leg, some of Gangwon’s ballboys intentionally delayed the game, which was frowned upon, and the KFA fined the club 30 million won ($30,000).
In addition to the bad blood, Gangwon hasn’t won a single game against Daejeon this season, with a 1-1 draw and two losses. The offense has struggled as well, scoring just two goals in three games. It will be interesting to see how Yoon Jung-hwan has prepared for Gangwon over the past two weeks.
Suwon Samsung, last place in the K League 1 (Photo courtesy of the Korean Football Association)
Suwon Samseong travels to Suwon Sports Complex to take on Suwon FC at 2 p.m. on Nov. 12.
After narrowly missing out on the promotion playoffs last year, Suwon Samseong has been in last place this season, despite two coaching changes.
Even the Suwon derby against Suwon FC is a source of anxiety for Suwon Samseong. Having lost all three games against Suwon FC this season, the team has been without a head coach for about a week.
Acting head coach Yeom Ki-hoon left for Thailand on the 4th to attend a class P license training and will join the team on the morning of the game. The coaching staff has been training, but the absence of the head coach at such a crucial time is a concern.
Suwon FC will also be highly motivated for the match, which will put pressure on Suwon Samsung.
Suwon FC is currently in 10th place with 32 points. They need to win against Suwon and wait for ninth-place Jeju United (39 points) to lose to FC Seoul in order to stay up. On the other hand, if they don’t win the Suwon derby, they’ll have to play an onerous relegation playoff and allow the 11th and 12th-place teams to catch up. That’s why Suwon FC can’t take the Suwon Derby lightly.