Daegu vs Ulsan Hyundai

K League 1 pacesetters Ulsan Hyundai head to the DGB Daegu Bank Park to lock horns with playoff hopefuls Daegu.

Time is becoming a sensitive mission for out-of-sorts Daegu as they couldn’t find a breakthrough in a long-standing pursuit of the final playoff spot, having failed to win their last three league matches (D2, L1). Despite only picking up one win in six top-flight games since late June (D3, L2), the hosts commence this round level on points with 6th-placed Daejeon Hana Citizen, seeking a first home win after back-to-back draws. Choi Won-kwoon’s side can draw confidence from going unbeaten in their last six home league fixtures (W2, D4), especially considering they only conceded more than once five times in that stretch. Daegu’s decent-looking home form shall inspire their bid to arrest a three-game losing H2H run against Ulsan. It’s worth noting Daegu capitulated at least three times in all those losses.

On the other hand, defending champions Ulsan Hyundai steadied the ship after two consecutive league defeats with a hard-earned 2-1 home win over Jeju United last time out. Curiously, all those three results (wins/losses) saw the winner on the day fail to keep a clean sheet, underlining the possibility of a high-scoring contest. Adding to this sentiment, six of their seven most recent top-flight visits to Daegu have featured over 2.5 goals. Against this backdrop, Ulsan’s last two away league victories have yielded an identical 1-0 scoreline, with the decisive goal coming before the hour mark on both occasions. As the league’s fastest starters, the visitors are the only K League 1 side to have reached a landmark of ten first-half away goals this term (11).