In professional soccer’s K League 1, Gangwon FC (11th place, 27 points) and Suwon Samsung (12th place, 26 points) are locked in a desperate “battle for the title” in their three remaining games this season.
Gangwon will host Daejeon Hana Citizen (8th place, 47 points) at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. in the 36th round of the 2023 Season Final B (7th-12th place teams). Gangwon has met Daejeon, who secured their place in the top flight, three times this season, with a 1-1 draw and two losses.
Suwon will host 10th-ranked Suwon FC (32 points) in the ‘Suwon Derby’ at the Suwon Sports Complex at 2 p.m. on April 12. The two teams have met 15 times in their history, with only one draw. This season, however, Suwon FC has beaten Suwon all three times.
With a lot on the line, both Gangwon and Suwon will be looking to pick up points against a team they haven’t beaten this year.
The 12th-place team at the bottom of K League 1 is automatically relegated to K League 2 next season. The 10th- and 11th-place teams, on the other hand, will have to play a promotion playoff (PO) against a K League 2 team to decide whether to stay up. Suwon FC is also in danger of relegation. Ninth-place Jeju United (39 points), which has seven more points than Suwon, can clinch promotion with a win at home against FC Seoul (7th – 53 points) on Nov. 11.
In Final A (teams 1-6), the battle for a spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) is expected to be fierce. Pohang Steelers (2nd – 60 points) won the Korean Football Association (FA) Cup to secure one ACL ticket, meaning the fourth-place team will also qualify for the ACL next season.
Fifth-place Incheon United (52 points) needs a win at home against fourth-place Jeonbuk Hyundai (53 points) on Dec. 12 to improve its chances of qualifying for the ACL for the second straight year. Incheon have been in good form of late, winning five, drawing four and losing one of their last 10 league games, but are winless against Jeonbuk this season (D1, L2). They also lost 1-3 to Jeonbuk in the FA Cup semifinals on January 1. 토토사이트
The competition for the top goal scorer in the K League 1 is also fierce. Daejeon’s Thiago leads the way with 16 goals this season. In addition to his goals, Thiago has added five assists, making him the only player in the K League 1 to surpass 20 offensive points. Ulsan Hyundai’s title-winning centerpiece, In-Joo Gyu, is just one goal behind Thiago with 15 goals. With 12 goals apiece from Zeca (Pohang) and Na Sang-ho (Seoul), the top scorer will likely only be defined at the end of the season.