Korean Cup Quarter Final Preview | OneFootball

A mouth-watering clash in Pohang tops the billing in the quarter-finals. Both clubs are familiar with each other, so calling a winner is tough. Two second-division sides remain however only one has a solid chance of progressing. Incheon made the semis in 2023 but will be underdogs in Munsu to repeat that feat.

Pohang Steel Yard, 19:00.Tickets.

The man in the Steel Yard hot seat looking to emulate his predecessor, and QF opponent, by winning the cup.

How did they get this far?

Both clubs needed penalties to overcome visiting teams in the round of 16.Pohang, making their first appearance of the season, fell behind a minute into extra time against Suwon Samsung. They were three minutes from losing their 2023 title until Baek Seong-dong saved their blushes. In the shootout, Pohang scored all five to eliminate the Bluewings.

FC Seoul are managed by the man who led Pohang to their title last winter and now he returns looking to do what Suwon failed to do; beat the holders in the Steel Yard. Seoul won the Seoul Derby in the 3rd round and then played out a dreadful 0-0 draw with Gangwon FC last month. Like Pohang, they advanced on penalty kicks. Pohang's win robbed us of a Super Match in Suwon.

Form guide:

Pohang went top following the midweek win over Gangwon FC but followed that by throwing away a one-goal lead to lose in Jeju on Saturday. The winning goal came in the 101st minute. To that point, the Steelers owned the longest, current unbeaten run in the league. The loss in Jeju sees them relinquish top spot, and drop to 3rd.

Seoul were also beaten in injury time, this time at back-to-back champions, Ulsan. Joo Min-kyu's 93rd-minute winner guided Ulsan back to the top of the table for 24 hours. This was Seoul's second away loss on the bounce, but they did recover from a half-time deficit midweek to beat Daejeon Hana in Sangam. Seoul remain in midtable, now eight points behind Suwon FC above them.

Prediction:

Pohang Steelers 1-2 FC Seoul

Pohang have a title to fight for in K League 1 whereas Seoul are managed by a man who knows Cup football. Plus I picked Seoul to win the Korean Cup in my KLU Podcast season preview. We're on for an away win in the Steel Yard.

Solteo Stadium, 19:00.Tickets.

Leonard Pllana is a match-winner and could prove decisive in the quarters.

How did they get this far?

Gimpo FC are making a habit of slaying bigger clubs on their home turf in the Korean Cup. Last season, FC Seoul crashed out on penalties in Solteo. Gimpo can now add Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to that list of executions after a 1-0 win in June. Gimpo began their cup adventure in Hanam when they eliminated K5's Byuksan Players and then traveled to K League 2 table-toppers FC Anyang, winning in extra time.

Jeju United were one of six clubs to advance on penalty kicks in the last round - their game, like two others, ended 0-0 after 120 grueling minutes in a heatwave - but they stood alone as the only away side to advance. Daejeon Hana Citizen were their opponents. In the 3rd round, Jeju needed penalties to get past K League 2 strugglers Cheonan City FC. Gimpo will relish this cup tie.

Form guide:

After three straight draws in K League 2,Gimpo suffered a rare defeat on Sunday night in Bucheon. This was their first loss in over a month, and means they're not exactly firing before Wednesday's cup game. Worryingly, manager Ko Jeong-eun started close to his first XI but his men failed to score despite eight attempts on target. They subsequently dropped a place to 5th.

Jeju's form has been mixed for the entire season. With just two draws in 22 games, it is win or lose every round for Kim Hak-beom's team. However, they have turned over two big guns in Seogwipo on successive weekends. Both Seoul and Pohang arrived as favorites but left empty-handed. Worryingly for this cup game, Jeju's away form is diabolical. They've lost four out of five away from the island.

Prediction:

Gimpo FC 1-0 Jeju United

Gimpo love an upset but they also have players of real class in their line-up. Jeju United won't fancy this trip to the mainland. It'll be close, and low-scoring, but Gimpo to knick it.

Gwangju Football Stadium, 19:00.Tickets.

Will Gwangju add a cup semi-final to a maiden Asian season?

How did they get this far?

Unlike their opponents,Gwangju have only featured once in the competition. They were handed a tricky midweek tie away to Bucheon in the last round but essentially put the game to bed inside the opening half an hour, racing into a 3-0 lead. Bucheon cut the deficit slightly approaching halftime and then scored a second in injury time to ensure a grandstand finish. Gwangju survived and their reward is a home match against more second division opposition.

Another club to advance on penalties at home,Seongnam ambushed Cheongju after being comfortably second-best for 120 minutes in Tancheon. They scored inside five minutes through Christy Mazanga and hardly threatened Cheongju for the remainder of the match. Crucially, they converted all five spot kicks to advance. Seongnam got their cup run underway in Paju and then beat K League 1 high-fliers Suwon FC in the next round. The former cup champions have the pedigree to win in Gwangju, but not the talent.

Form guide:

Seongnam's form is truly woeful in K League 2 yet they came around five minutes from an unlikely point in Mokdong. The Magpies eventually collapsed to lose 3-1. This is their fourth loss in five matches and sees them just one place above bottom spot. Their most recent victory was away to Ansan Greeners in early June. Heading into an away QF, Seongnam have the worst away record in Korea.

At the same time inGwangju, Seongnam's cup opponents were beaten 2-0 by strugglers Incheon United. The loss keeps Gwangju in 8th but their form is so erratic this year. At no point have they been able to put together a decent run to climb up the table. On Wednesday, they ended Hong Myeong-bo's reign in Ulsan with a famous win and then followed that up with a home loss.

Prediction:

Gwangju FC 3-0 Seongnam FC

Seongnam were fortunate to make it this far but any further involvement in this competition is highly unlikely. Their form is far too erratic to consider as an outside bet. Gwangju's form might be equally unpredictable but that's at a level far higher than Seongnam are used to.

Match 55: Ulsan HD (1) vs. Incheon United (1)

Munsu Football Stadium, 19:00.Tickets.

Incheon United will be looking to repeat their semi-final appearance from 2023, but they'll have to do so without then-manager Jo Sung-hwan.

How did they get this far?

Ulsan came close to an embarrassing early exit in June when they allowed struggling Geongnam FC to take them all the way to penalty kicks in June. Gyeongnam opened the scoring but were then reduced to 10 men before halftime. Lee Chang-yong's penalty kick doubled the punishment. Astonishingly, Gyeongnam scored twice in the second half to take the game to extra time, and then re-took the lead. Ulsan found an equalizer as the game ended 4-4. Sadly, Gyeongnam missed all three penalty kicks and went home.

A familiar theme in the last round,Incheon United needed penalty kicks after 120 minutes with Gimcheon Sangmu ended 0-0. It is easy to make fun of the low-scoring matches (apart from Ulsan vs. Gyeongnam) but the playing conditions were atrocious in June. It was at the height of a heatwave and as Nathan Oduwa told K League United, the players struggled to breathe after 20 minutes. Shin Jae-won, a substitute for Seongnam, admitted he didn't want to play. In the previous round, Incheon stumbled past K4's Gimhae 1-0 in Sungui.

Form guide:

Remarkably, both clubs come into this tie having parted ways with their respective managers in the space of a few days. Jo Sung-hwan, Incheon's coach, went immediately after his team's 1-1 draw with Gimcheon on July 5th. The same night, Hong Myeong-bo watched his team draw with Suwon FC. Hong was announced as Korea's national team manager 48 hours later, and intended to stay on for the remainder of the year. But he, too, walked away after the midweek loss to Gwangju FC.

Fortunately forUlsan, they got their season back on track with a late win over Seoul on Saturday, courtesy of Joo Min-kyu. That win, their first in four games, coupled with Pohang's collapse in Jeju, nudged the champions top. Incheon were also victorious, this time at Gwangju FC. The 2-0 win was their first on the road since May 18th, and takes them out of the religion spots.

Prediction:

Ulsan HD 2-1 Incheon United

The changes sweeping through both clubs make this one rather difficult to call. But, ultimately, Ulsan have home advantage, better players, and after seeing Pohang win it all in 2023, it might give them extra motivation to stake a serious claim.