Daegu vs Jeonbuk Motors

The stakes are high for K League 1 rock-bottom side Daegu and title hopefuls Jeonbuk Motors as they lock horns at DGB Daegu Bank Park.

A season of utter disappointment for Daegu continued at the weekend as a 2-1 defeat at table-topping Daejeon Hana Citizen condemned them to a fourth consecutive winless league outing (D1, L3), keeping them pinned to the foot of the table. Already 11 points adrift of the final playoff spot, Park Chang-hyun’s side must hit the ground running sooner rather than later if they’re to return to a top-six picture. However, a dreadful win ratio of only 20% (3/15) doesn’t make for good reading, though it’s worth noting that all of Deagu’s three league victories this season have come at home. That said, the hosts have lost four of their last five top-flight home matches, with three yielding an identical 1-0 scoreline. 

Meanwhile, Jeonbuk Motor’s pursuit of their first K League 1 title since 2021 took a hit at the weekend, with a scoreless draw at Jeju United leaving them two points behind pacesetters Daejeon. Yet, that result extended their scintillating unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 games (W9, D4), marking their third clean sheet in the last four! Before slumping in Jeju Province, the Warriors had won six consecutive away fixtures – five of which via single-goal margins, testifying to a notorious lack of conviction. However, manager Gus Poyet would probably embrace another narrow triumph, not least because his men have lost their last two league visits to Daegu, conceding 3+ goals on both occasions.