Daegu vs Jeju United

DGB Daegu Bank Park sets the stage for Daegu’s must-win home K League 1 clash against Jeju United.

After back-to-back high-scoring wins in mid-May, Daegu’s form has descended into chaos again as the hosts come into this round having lost their last three league matches, including two without scoring. Understandably nailed to the bottom of the K League 1 standings, Daegu desperately need something here to stay within touching distance of the playoff spots after falling eight points behind 6th-placed Gwangju. Despite a narrow 1-0 defeat in May’s reverse fixture, Hong Joon-pyo’s men can draw confidence from going unbeaten in six previous top-flight encounters against Jeju (W3, D3), including a tight 1-0 victory in their last H2H on home turf. It was the third consecutive league meeting between these two teams at DGB Daegu Bank Park to see Daegu score precisely once (W2, D1).

Visiting Jeju United will hope to end their barren away run against Daegu and bounce back from a 2-1 home loss to Gangwon last weekend, which snapped their two-match winning league streak. Still on the periphery of the playoff zone, the visitors trail a coveted sixth place by only two points, largely thanks to their well-documented travel sickness. In addition to managing just two wins from nine K League 1 road trips this season (W2, D2, L5), they’ve lost their last two away matches without scoring, pouring pressure on manager Kim Hak-bum. Indeed, the away goals have been at a premium for Jeju this term, as they’ve bagged an average of just 0.88 per game across their first nine travels.