Jeonbuk Hyundai and Daejeon Hana Citizen will meet again in the first game of the final round in 27 days.
Jeonbuk and Daejeon will face off in the 34th round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on the 19th.
It is their first showdown in the final round after an A-match break. Jeonbuk (37 points) and Daejeon (35 points) are in the relegation zone, ranking 10th and 11th, respectively, so all five remaining matches are important. Losses against each other in the final round tend to double the damage.
The two teams had a showdown on April 19 and ended in a scoreless draw. It means they will meet again on the brink of a cliff in 27 days. In three face-to-face matches this season, the two teams displayed close matches to draw both.
Both teams saw their upward trajectory drop. Jeonbuk, which had failed to produce results under Kim Doo-hyun, had no loss in six matches (four wins and two draws) before the final match of the regular season league. However, the team’s ranking did not significantly improve.
Then, the team suffered a come-from-behind loss to Daegu FC 3-4 in the final match. Jeonbuk, which was being dragged by the team after conceding two goals first, displayed its power to reverse this, but failed to endure the extra time in the second half and sank to its knees. Foreign striker Thiago remains silent, but he is offsetting this by various scoring distributions. Jeonbuk, which allowed four goals in the match against Daegu, is gradually gaining stability.
The same applies to Daejeon. It had no loss in seven matches (four wins and three draws), showing signs of rebound, but it has recently lost two consecutive games. Notably, it suffered a come-from-behind loss to eighth-ranked Jeju United in the final regular season league match.
With 36 goals in 33 games this season, the key is how Daejeon, which is at least the third place in scoring, will increase its scoring ability in the final round. 스포츠토토
Furthermore, Daejeon went to a mini field training in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province during the A-match break in October. It is an expression of the strong will to advance to the final round.
The gap between the teams subject to potential demotion is not wide. The gap between Incheon United and Daejeon is only one game. On the contrary, the team is also one game shorter than Daegu FC (38 points), which is ranked ninth outside the relegation zone. Jeonbuk and Daegu have a point difference of one. If they lose the first match of the final round, the remaining four matches will be burdensome. The losing team will suffer a setback anyway.