Suwon eyeing top spot in K League in derby vs. FC Seoul

▲ Lee Ki-je of Suwon Samsung Bluewings (C) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against Gwangju FC in a K League 1 match at Gwangju Football Stadium in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 23, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Na Sang-ho of FC Seoul celebrates his goal against Seongnam FC during a K League 1 match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, in this April 30, 2021, file photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Cesinha of Daegu FC (C) dribbles the ball during a K League 1 match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at DGB Daegu Bank Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on May 23, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Do-hyeok of Incheon United (R) dribbles the ball against Suwon FC during a K League 1 match at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 21, 2021. (Yonhap)

football-matches

Suwon eyeing top spot in K League in derby vs. FC Seoul

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- What a difference two months can make.

Suwon Samsung Bluewings and FC Seoul will renew their K League 1 football rivalry on Saturday in their second "Super Match" derby -- to the extent that there is much of a rivalry now.

Ahead of their first meeting on March 21, Suwon were sitting in third place with 11 points, and FC Seoul were right behind them in fourth place with nine points. FC Seoul claimed the Super Match 2-1 in enemy territory to extend their winning streak to three.

FC Seoul haven't won a match since then, posting three draws and five losses. At 15 points, they're just one point ahead of last-place Gwangju FC. FC Seoul have also had four matches postponed after defender Hwang Hyun-soo tested positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month.

Suwon, meanwhile, have gone 5-4-4 (wins-draws-losses) since the first Super Match to climb to second place at 30 points. Undefeated in their past seven, Suwon now sit three points back of Ulsan Hyundai FC for the top spot and have a chance to move into first with a win over FC Seoul at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday.

A Suwon victory and an Ulsan loss to Jeju United on Saturday will leave Suwon and Ulsan knotted at 30 points. A tiebreaker will then determine who will occupy first place. They're currently tied in the first tiebreaker, goals scored, at 26 apiece.

FC Seoul only returned to action last Sunday following their coronavirus-induced absence and played Gangwon FC to a scoreless draw. Suwon enjoyed a thrilling, 4-3 victory over Gwangju FC on the same day.

Suwon will also enjoy the services of two newly motivated players: Fullback Lee Ki-je and forward Jung Sang-bin were named to the national team for the first time on Monday ahead of World Cup qualifying matches in June, and they'll be out there to prove they deserve to be wearing the national flag.

In a prematch press conference Thursday, Suwon coach Park Kun-ha said he'd like to avenge the loss to FC Seoul at home by taking this one on the road.

With Suwon having played eight matches so far in May, including the Korean FA Cup, Park stressed the importance of having mental fortitude.

"Our guys will be running on fumes, and we'll have to bear down hard in the second half," Park said. "FC Seoul have been rested, and they'll try to protect their home turf. We'll have to be ready mentally."

FC Seoul boss Park Jin-sub acknowledged that Suwon have the momentum on their side but added, "It'll come down to who battles hard on match day. If we can take them down, it will be a major turning point for our season."

Ulsan, also unbeaten in seven, will try to stay on top for at least another week against the slumping Jeju United, who have been winless in seven after a surprisingly strong start to the season.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will try to snap their season-worst losing skid at three matches when they face Incheon United. During this skid, Jeonbuk have fallen from first place to third. They're tied with Daegu FC at 29 points but remain ahead in goals scored (28-22).

Daegu will take their eight-match unbeaten run into a Sunday match against Gangwon FC.

With three World Cup qualifiers and two tuneup matches for the men's Olympic team coming up in June, plus group matches for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League in June and July, the K League will press pause after Sunday.

FC Seoul and Seongnam FC, the other club affected by Hwang's positive test, will play postponed matches during the break, though. FC Seoul will play on June 6 and 19, and then July 14. Seongnam have matches scheduled for June 6, June 20 and June 26.

The league will return to full schedule on July 20.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved