FC Seoul, which has confirmed its advance to Final A, will bring Suwon FC home.
Seoul will face Suwon FC in the 32nd round of “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” at 4:30 p.m. on the 29th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Ahead of this season, Seoul has made massive changes by appointing Kim Ki-dong, who has successfully managed the Pohang Steelers. It even recruited Jesse Lingard from the Manchester United Youth in the pre-season, and challenged himself to join the top ranks.
Early this year, Seoul suffered a slump. Throughout the first round Robin, the team ranked ninth with three wins, three draws and five losses. Lingard, who was recruited with high expectations, failed to display his skills due to his injury, and was at the bottom of the list with five consecutive home losses.
However, the mood has changed since the summer transfer window. Four players have been recruited – Ronaldo, Yazan, Lucas, and Kang Hyun-moo – to fill the gap. Lingard has also emerged as a key player in his team as he returned after recovering from his knee injury.
As a result, second-round robin Seoul swept three wins in four games to move up to sixth place. At the beginning of the third-round robin, he won a whopping five consecutive games and achieved six consecutive unbeaten games to confirm his first place in Final A in five years since 2019.
However, the concern is concentration at the last minute of the game. Seoul has lost eight goals since the 80th minute of this season. Notably, in the two recent matches, Seoul lost four points at the end of the second half by allowing a point at the last minute of the second half. It seems that Kim will also need an aggressive replacement card for the second half.
Suwon FC also confirmed its advance to the Final A early on. Ahead of this season, Suwon FC has appointed Kim Eun-joong, the “sharp ball” coach who led the team to the semifinals at the U-20 World Cup. Suwon FC dropped to the bottom in the early days of this season, but finished the first round Robin in fifth place.
In the second round, the team consistently maintained the top rank in Robin. Suwon FC, which had the disgrace of losing the most points by allowing 76 points last season, displayed stable defense capability under coach Kim. In the early stages of the third round, it rose to the third place, which is a qualification for the AFC Champions League elite.
However, the team has suffered consecutive losses as its defense line collapsed recently. Suwon FC suffered a humiliating 0-6 defeat in the 30th round match against Jeonbuk Hyundai, and also lost 2-4 in the 31st round match against Gimcheon Sangmu, recording 10 goals in two matches. 먹튀검증
If Seoul and Suwon FC win the upcoming showdown, they will be in a higher position. Seoul can score four or more points and, if it wins, it can move up to fourth place, while Suwon FC can also regain the fourth place it lost to Pohang on Wednesday.
The core player of Seoul is Yazan. Yazan joined Seoul through the summer transfer market. Yazan displayed solid defense and was named the best player of the year in the 31st round, and even acquired the Seoul Player of the Month award in August. Suwon FC will have to fill the void left by Kwon Kyung-won, who Choi Kyu-baek and Jackson moved to the Cor Pacan Club.