Gangwon vs Seoul

Out-of-sorts Gangwon will be seeking their first K League 1 triumph since April when they meet Seoul at the Chuncheon Songam Stadium.

Gangwon’s hopes of securing a playoff berth are as good as dead, which is no surprise given their lackluster win ratio of just 9% across the opening 22 league outings (W2, D9, L11). An uneventful scoreless draw at Daegu in midweek K League 1 action cemented Gangwon’s status as ‘stalemate kings.’ Indeed, ‘Gangwon Kodiaks’ have drawn a league joint-high nine matches this season, an outcome they’d gladly embrace in this fixture after losing two of their last three top-flight meetings with Seoul without scoring. However, a humiliating 12-game winless league run (D5, L7) threatens to ‘kill’ the mood in the home camp, especially considering they netted under 1.5 goals in 11 of those 12 games.

As for Seoul, an overwhelming 7-2 home victory over Suwon on Wednesday came on the back of two consecutive league matches without winning (D1, L1), increasing the likelihood of them catching a place in the playoffs. Six points clear of 7th-placed Jeju United, the visitors take this trip amid an unimpressive five-game league form on the road (W1, D1, L3), not to mention they barely averaged a goal per game in this sequence. Furthermore, An Ik-soo’s men have suffered back-to-back away defeats at Gangwon in the K League 1 after conceding an opening goal within the first 30 minutes of play. Another sluggish start may cost them dearly since they’ve lost five out of six away league fixtures after falling behind this season (D1).