Pohang Steelers and Suwon Samsung스포츠토토, which show opposite moves after the opening in the professional football K League 1, will face off in the ninth round.
Recording 4 wins and 4 draws until the 8th round, Pohang, the only one of the 12 teams without a loss, and Suwon, the lowest with 2 draws and 6 losses, will meet at 7:30 pm on the 25th at Pohang Steel Yard, Gyeongbuk.
Pohang recorded 16 points in the K-League 1 this season, ranking third after Ulsan Hyundai (18 points) and FC Seoul (16 points).
Ulsan has lost 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, and Seoul has lost 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, but Pohang is the only one that continues its ‘undefeated march’.
Pohang scored 13 goals in 8 matches and conceded 8 points, and it is stable enough to be the least among 12 clubs, along with Ulsan and Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Last season’s key players such as Shin Jin-ho and Im Sang-hyeop transferred to Incheon United and Seoul, respectively, resulting in a power leak, but Koh Young-jun (4 goals) and Lee Ho-jae (3 goals) are making up for the void.
On the other hand, Suwon is in an ’emergency situation’ with coach Lee Byung-geun stepping down during the season and coach Choi Seong-yong taking over as acting manager.
Last season, after being driven to the playoffs for the promotion, Suwon, the ‘famous family’, who managed to remain in the first division, is the lowest among 12 clubs with 2 draws and 6 losses.
Besides Suwon, there are only two teams without a win after the opening, including Gangwon FC (4 draws and 4 losses).
Suwon’s only win this season was a 3-1 win in the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup against Ansan Greeners of K League 2 on the 12th.
It remains to be seen whether Suwon, who has lost 3 consecutive times recently in the ‘Super Match’ against Seoul on the 22nd, will win its first win of the season by sacrificing ‘undefeated team’ Pohang.
On the 26th, fans’ attention is focused on the match between Gwangju FC and Jeju United.
This is because of the relationship between Jeju director Nam Ki-il and Jeju director Lee Jung-hyo.
Starting in 2016, when manager Nam Ki-il led Gwangju, he worked together as a manager and coach for about five years in three teams, including Seongnam FC and Jeju.
This is the first time the two coaches face each other as head coaches of opposing teams.
In terms of ranking, Gwangju, which was promoted from K-League 2 last season, is in 5th place (13 points), ahead of 10th place Jeju (8 points).
The Jeonju match between Jeonbuk and Daejeon Hana Citizen on the 26th is also interesting.
Before the opening, Jeonbuk, along with Ulsan, who were considered ‘yanggang’ but stayed in 7th place with 3 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, and Daejeon, which has been promoted from the K-League 2 but put a brake on the winning streak after the opening of the leader Ul