Final Showdown: Ulsan HD and Gimcheon Sangmu Face Off for Top Spot in K League 1 | OneFootball

This weekend sees the end of the regular K League 1 season, and many eyes will be on the top of the table in a clash between 1st and 2nd place as surprise package Gimcheon Sangmu make the trip east to take on reigning champions Ulsan HD.

Recent Form

Ulsan HD come into this game in excellent league form, having picked up an impressive 13 points from a possible 15 over their last five outings. They have also kept clean sheets in their last three games. It has been a different story in the AFC Champions League, though, as their campaign got off to a disastrous start over the last month with a 1-0 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale, followed by a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday night. It must be noted, however, that there were quite a few changes to the starting XI for this match, with Kim Pan-gon rotating players to keep his squad fresh, as their looming Korean Cup final means they still have a chance to complete a treble this season.

Gimcheon Sangmu come into this game in equally impressive form, having won their last three games and replicating their performances from earlier in the season, which saw them among the front-runners for much of the campaign. They are, of course, the surprise package following their promotion from K League 2 last season, and despite a slight dip in form over the summer months, a return of nine points in the last three games has seen them hoist themselves back into contention. Unlike Ulsan, they don’t have any distractions from Asian club competition and will be buoyed knowing that a victory will see them leapfrog their opponents and go into the final stage of the season at the top of the league—something surely beyond the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic Gimcheon fans at the start of the season.

This Season’s Meetings

There have been goals galore in the previous two meetings between these sides this season. The first time they met was in Gimcheon in the second game of the season, as Ulsan ran out 3-2 winners in a thrilling contest. The visitors raced into a three-goal lead within the first half hour, thanks to a brace from Lee Dong-gyeong and a strike from Jang See-young. It didn’t turn out to be the comfortable afternoon they were expecting, though, as a quickfire double from Kim Hyeong-ug for the home side saw Ulsan hanging on at the end. The second encounter was equally exciting a couple of months later, as an injury-time penalty from Kim Tae-hyun rescued a point for Gimcheon.

Key Players

As expected, Ulsan have been strong across all areas of the pitch this season, but their defense, in particular, has been especially tight, conceding just 35 goals in 32 games, which sees them joint-top of the goals conceded table. One reason for this has been the excellent form of left-sided defender Lee Myung-jae, whose performances have also earned him his first call-ups for the national team this year. In attack, Brazilian striker Yago Cariello leads the scoring charts with 11 goals, and he will be looking to end a five-game goal drought in this weekend’s game.

One of the reasons for Gimcheon’s success this season has been the superb form of midfield talisman Lee Dong-gyeong, whose goal tally currently stands at 11, with seven assists to his name. He has also found the net in his previous two appearances. He has been backed up by the almost equally impressive Kim Dae-won, with the winger contributing eight assists and five goals in what has been a very successful season thus far.

Prediction

There’s a lot to play for in this one, as both teams will be desperate to head into the second phase as league leaders. A highly competitive 1-1 draw.