Gangwon vs Jeonbuk Motors

Chuncheon Songam Stadium forms the backdrop for a lopsided K League 1 encounter between out-of-sorts Gangwon and high-flying Jeonbuk Motors. 

Last season’s runner-up finish may prove a fluke, with Gangwon facing the risk of missing out on a playoff spot after losing back-to-back league matches ‘to one.’ Three points behind 6th-placed Gwangju, Chung Kyung-ho’s side cannot afford another slip-up, yet the joint-lowest return of only nine home points in the K League 1 this season cannot inspire much confidence (W2, D3, L3). Terminally unable to score goals, Gangwon have bagged a league-low five at home in 2025, failing to find the net multiple times in seven of their eight such fixtures! As if that’s not troubling enough, they’ve alternated between drawing and losing across their last four home league outings (D2, L2), casting further doubt on their hopes of extending an outstanding five-game winning H2H streak against Jeonbuk. 

Gangwon’s downturn could be a perfect chance for the visitors to post their first H2H win since June 2023 and avenge a narrow 1-0 home defeat in March’s reverse fixture. Confidence is bursting at the seams as Gus Poyet’s men haven’t lost a domestic fixture since that defeat, racking up an intimidating 15-match unbeaten run (W11, D4), including a thumping 3-1 home victory against reigning champions Ulsan Hyundai last time out. That triumph halted Jeonbuk’s impressive run of four consecutive clean sheets in the K League 1 (W3, D1), but they still boast the best defensive record in the Korean top flight this season with only 12 goals conceded. When factoring in the division’s best scoring output (27 goals scored), it’s unsurprising that they sit at the top of the table.