Jeonbuk Motors vs Incheon United

Jeonbuk Motor’s bid to get back on track after a recent fall from grace pits them against high-flying Incheon United at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium.

A demoralizing 3-0 loss to Ligue 1 colossi PSG in their first-ever meeting in midweek was the last thing Jeonbuk Motors needed after a 2-1 defeat at Pohang Steelers in their most recent K League 1 fixture. That disappointing result halted Jeonbuk’s mini-revival featuring four consecutive league games without losing (W3, D1), leaving their hopes of securing a playoff berth in doubt. Only four points clear of 7th-placed Daejeon Hana Citizen at the start of this round, the ‘Warriors’ cannot afford another slip-up, especially against an Incheon side they’ve triumphed over twice in their last three league H2Hs (D1). But Dan Petrescu’s men have conveniently won seven successive top-flight home games in the build-up to this clash, so there will be no shortage of confidence.

Fortunately for visiting Incheon United, the same goes for them, as a morale-boosting three-game winning league run in the lead-up to this trip might have laid the foundation for only their second H2H victory in over five years. But that’s easier said than done, considering you’d need to go to 2015 for Incheon’s last league win at Jeonbuk, with the ‘Mariners’ going winless on their 11 top-flight visits to the Jeonju World Cup Stadium since (D4, L7). However, there’s a legitimate reason for optimism in the traveling camp because Jo Sung-hwan’s men haven’t lost any of their last six away league matches (W3, D3), netting multiple goals in four of them.