Ulsan Hyundai vs Jeju United

K League 1 pacesetters Ulsan Hyundai are looking to get back on track as they welcome playoff hopefuls Jeju United to the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.

Ulsan Hyundai’s sailing lead at the summit has seen the hosts take their recent league assignments lightly, as they’ve lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season. A brace of defeats in the lead-up to this matchday has equaled Ulsan’s tally of only two losses from their opening 21 league fixtures (W17, D2), allowing second-placed Pohang Steelers to whittle down the gap to 11 points. Indeed, a dramatic 2-1 defeat to Incheon United in their most recent home outing marked Ulsan’s first failed attempt to claim points on home soil this season after ten consecutive games without losing (W8, D2). But their intimidating average of 2.45 goals per home league match suggests it was just a one-off.

Out-of-sorts Jeju United will be out to test their theory, desperately seeking a way out of a wayward eight-game winless league streak (D3, L5). Since a 2-1 home triumph over basement boys Suwon Bluewings in late May remains their last top-flight win, the visitors should consider themselves lucky for being in a playoff conversation. Nam Ki-il’s men trail sixth-placed Gwangju by a single point despite suffering three defeats in their last four league contests (D1). What’s even more concerning for the traveling side is that they conceded multiple goals in all three losses, which was also the case in a thumping 5-1 loss on their most recent K League 1 visit to Ulsan. Particularly vulnerable after halftime, they’ve registered a clear majority (74%) of their away league goals conceded in the second half of play (14/19).