Jeonbuk Hyundai vs. Incheon United: Winner stays up? | OneFootball

Despite both teams finishing in the top half of the league last year, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Incheon United are currently locked in a battle to remain in K League 1. With Incheon facing Jeonbuk this weekend, a win for either side could condemn the other to relegation. It is sure to be a tense affair, with both teams looking to avoid any further slip-ups.

Incheon finally picked up a victory over Gwangju last weekend in what proved to be a combative affair. Both sides had opportunities in the game, but the Incheon back line held firm. The goal was scored midway through the first half by Incheon and K League 1's leading scorer, Stefan Mugosa.

The victory was Incheon’s first home win in 179 days and gives them a boost following a lacklustre home defeat to Jeju United the previous week. Despite still sitting at the bottom of the table, results elsewhere mean Incheon were able to narrow the gap on the teams above.

Sitting immediately above Incheon is Jeonbuk. The Jeolla side have scored 8 goals in their last 5 matches but were unable to break down Jeju this past weekend. The defeat, coupled with Incheon’s win, sees the gap close to two points. This weekend's game is the true definition of a six-pointer.

Whilst Incheon have been chronic under-scorers this season, Jeonbuk have struggled with clean sheets; the former having scored only 3 times in six games, and the latter having conceded in each of their last six games. Going into the game, Incheon will be looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this year, and Jeonbuk will be looking to end a run of four straight defeats in all competitions.

Team News

Incheon midfielder Shin Jinho will remain on the sidelines for the remainder of the season after failing to shake off a persistent foot injury.  Choi Woojin is likely to miss this weekend's game, but could make a return before the end of the month.

Lee Seungwoo is still struggling for a starting spot since his summer switch and will likely feature from the bench once more, while Song Minkyu’s recent return from injury has seen him burdened with delivering in attack despite needing more time to regain his touch.

However, it seems unlikely there will be any major overhaul at this point, with a team similar in shape and style to that which lost to Daejeon and Jeju likely to be fielded once more. Expect a 4-4-2 with Lee Yeongjae and Song Mingyu in attack, while Moon Seon-min is likely to continue his late-season renaissance out wide against his former club. Manager Kim Doheon may look to reinstall his preference for Nana Boateng alongside Han Kookyoung in a bid to wrestle control of the midfield, yet this does run the risk of slowing things down somewhat.

Jeonbuk's Woes

“No way back” is the somewhat ill-advised slogan adorning the club’s own match posters heading into Saturday’s clash, imposed on top of a lighthouse on a rock amid stormy shores and aimed at intimidating this week’s visitors. Mixed marketing metaphors to match the on-field performances, perhaps, as a hapless Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors head into Round 36 on a run of three consecutive losses, each against teams around them, having failed to even score in the last two.

Players, coaching staff, and club officials have been quick to point to a lack of fortune in front of the net given the number of chances the team is creating, yet few will empathise if the previously inconceivable happens and the high-spending, nine-time K League Champions are rocking up in Cheongju and Ansan next season.

The Green Motors have taken 49 shots in these last three defeats, yet only ten have tested the goalkeeper. Admittedly, they continue to be without the injured Tiago, who one could only imagine might have been more effective in turning some of these opportunities goalwards, yet one would not be incorrect in believing that there may be enough talent in this squad to be doing better.

The prospect of safety is increasingly fading for Jeonbuk, and they will likely need to play two more games in the playoffs. A failure to find the net for a third consecutive outing on Saturday, and there really could be no way back for Korea’s most successful club.

Head-to-Head

Incheon have not won at Jeonju Castle in eight years. Remarkably, Kim Dohyeok and Matej Jonjic both featured in their last victory, which finished 1-0 to Incheon. Since then, even draws have been few and far between. To say that history favours Jeonbuk in this fixture would be an understatement: since Incheon's last win, Jeonbuk have won seven of the twelve meetings, scoring 26 goals and conceding only eleven. The biggest win among them was a 5-0 victory in April 2021.

Overall, Jeonbuk have won 21 of the 44 meetings, with Incheon winning seven. There have been 16 draws. The clubs have won one game each this season and drawn once. Incheon picked up a 3-0 home win in May, followed by a 2-2 draw in Jeonju in June and a 1-0 home defeat for the Blue-Black in August.

Who to Watch

Stefan Mugosa is the league's top scorer, and he returned to goalscoring form last weekend, giving Incheon a win over Gwangju. It was Mugosa's first goal in six league games, the last coming in a 2-1 away win over Daegu. If Incheon survive, it'll be thanks to his goals. For Incheon to pick up any points against Jeonbuk, Mugosa will likely need to be on form again. It's no secret Incheon have struggled in front of goal this season, but given how tight it is at the bottom, everything is still in play and anything is still possible. For Incheon to get anything from this game, they'll need their big-game players to turn up. That starts with Mugosa.

The Run-In

After this weekend, Jeonbuk face Daegu at home, followed by a trip to Gwangju to finish the season. Incheon have Daejeon at home next, then face Daegu in a repeat of last season's final game.