Ulsan Hyundai vs Jeju United

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium forms the backdrop for a blockbuster Korean FA Cup quarter-final tie between Ulsan Hyundai and Jeju United.

While Ulsan Hyundai’s 2023 K League 1 campaign has proved a walk in the park thus far (W15, D2, D2), they had to extra-time drama to get the better of second-tier Jeonam in the previous FA Cup round (2-1). Back-to-back winless matches in the post-FA Cup period (D1, L1) created unrest in the ‘Tigers’ camp, but they’ve since steadied the ship with three consecutive victories by an aggregate score of 11-3. Hong Myung-bo’s lads have seemingly rediscovered their scoring touch, notably bagging 3+ goals in each of those three wins to bolster their confidence ahead of this showdown. Ulsan can draw further inspiration from dispatching Jeju in their last two league H2Hs, running out victorious by 3+ goals ‘to one’ on both occasions.

As for Jeju, an action-packed 4-3 win over Daejeon in the FA Cup last-16 booked their quarter-finals, bringing them a step closer to lifting the cup trophy for the first time in the club’s history. However, overcoming this hurdle may require a mammoth effort after the visitors failed to win any of their last four competitive games in the build-up to this tie (D2, L2), a run that includes an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at Ulsan of all teams. That loss bookended a poor run of three successive road trips without winning (D1, L2), casting doubt on Jeju’s bid to defy an ominously-looking streak of three defeats on their last four visits to Ulsan (W1). Defensive resilience is key, given that Jeju’s three most recent away victories have come ‘to nil.’