The ground is heating up again. The K-League will resume after two weeks of “summer vacation.” The 26th round of Hana Bank’s K-League 1 2024 will take place from Friday to Sunday.
It is a “jackpot” from the first game. Although it is unexpected, the current leader is Sangmu Gimcheon (46 points), and the second-ranked is Gangwon FC (44 points). Gangwon has the same score as the third-ranked Pohang Steelers, but has scored 46 goals, the most in the K-League 1, in terms of multiple points, ahead of Pohang (39 points). Gimcheon will play against Gangwon at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Gimcheon Sports Complex. The two teams met each other twice this season, with Gimcheon winning the game 1-0, and 3-2, respectively. As of the recent trend, however, Gangwon is neck and neck. Gangwon, which has been on a two-game winning streak, has had three wins, one draw and one loss, while Gimcheon has had two wins, one draw and two losses.
Gangwon’s top interest is in the toes of “high school winger” Yang Min-hyuk, who has decided to join Tottenham. The junior high school student confirmed his transfer to Tottenham on April 28. According to the agreement, Yang plans to play for Gangwon for the rest of the season and join Tottenham in January next year. He boasts the best form. Yang has three goals and one assist in the recent two games. In the match against Jeju United in the 24th round, he had multiple goals (2 goals) and one goal and one assist against Jeonbuk Hyundai in the 25th round. He will challenge to score goals in three consecutive games. Yang Min-hyuk is also on the highest alert in Gimcheon Province.
Gimcheon has high hopes for Kim Dae-won and Seo Min-woo, both of whom Gangwon Province played in. On June 22, Seo scored one goal and Kim Dae-won one assist against Gangwon. Kim also led his team to a 2-1 victory at the match against Pohang in the 25th round with one goal and one assist. Seo Min-woo also played full-time based on his strong performance. Kim’s keyword is “Leader Mercury” and Gangwon’s “Taliban.”
At the same time, Jeonbuk and Gwangju will clash with each other in Jeonju. Jeonbuk, which was considered the “champion,” is now falling to 11th place (23 points) due to concern over possible demotion. There is nowhere else to go. Gwangju (34 points), which is ranked seventh, also has a long way to go before reaching the semi-finals. Jeonbuk has reorganized its ranks by storming into Lee Seung-woo and Andorigo in the summer transfer window, which was shut down. On the other hand, Gwangju was hamstrung by “financial soundness,” and recruitment was a different story. Still, Gwangju has secured two consecutive wins by allowing no run in two consecutive matches. Jeonbuk, which has nowhere to turn its eyes to, is strong against Gwangju. It has nine wins and one loss in the recent 10 games against Gwangju. It has also won two matches this season.
Kim Pan-gon, the new head coach of Ulsan HD, will make his first appearance at the Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. He is playing against Daegu FC. It is his return to soccer after 28 years. Kim made his professional debut in Ulsan in 1992 when he was an active player, and spent five seasons until 1996. Ulsan, which is aiming at its third consecutive win in the K League 1, has fallen to fourth place (42 points) since Hong Myung-bo left the team as a member of the A national team. The team has only gained four points (one win, one draw and four losses) in its recent six matches.
“We are pursuing active attack development and leading defense lead. We will dominate and control the game from the first minute to the 90th minute to bring about victory,” Kim said. “I will make the team dynamic so that fans can enjoy it more, and rather than waiting for the opponent’s mistake, I will play soccer that induces soccer.” Ulsan has no loss in 10 matches (eight wins and two draws) against Daegu. It had three wins and one draw last season, and two wins this season as well. Only when Kim succeeds in a soft landing can Ulsan dream of becoming the lead again. 먹튀검증
The 8th-ranked Jeju (32 points) and the 9th-ranked Incheon United (25 points), and the 5th-ranked Suwon FC (41 points) and the lowest-ranked Daejeon Hana Citizen (21 points) will face off at 7:30 p.m. on the 10th at the Jeju World Cup Stadium and Suwon Stadium, respectively. At 7 p.m. on the 11th, the fourth “Kim Ki-dong Derby” is waiting for this season. Pohang will bring home the 6th-ranked FC Seoul (36 points). “Shin” Park Tae-ha, the coach of Pohang, is unbeaten in the K-League with one win and one draw and one win at the Korea Cup against “Former” Kim Ki-dong.