K League Preview: Daejeon’s Losing Streak Ends, But Poor Home Attack; Jeonbuk Hyundai Misses Five Players

On June 22 at 5 pm, K League 1 Matchday 18 sees Daejeon FC host Jeonbuk Hyundai at the Daejeon Olympic Stadium.

After 17 rounds, both teams sit in 10th and 11th place respectively, separated by just two points and a goal difference of two. They are similarly positioned. Daejeon FC’s season has been characterized by two main aspects: Firstly, their home attacking prowess is weak. With only seven goals scored in eight home matches, they have the lowest average goals per game (0.88) in the league. However, they also concede few goals at home, with an average of 1.0 goals against per match, making them the fourth-best home defense in the K League.

Additionally, Daejeon is one of the “draw specialists” in the K League, having a draw rate of 62.5% at home, second only to Pohang Steelers’ 66.7%. Their win rate isn’t high, neither is their loss rate. In terms of form, Daejeon recently beat Jeju United 1-0, ending a three-match losing streak, showing some signs of recovery.

Jeonbuk Hyundai, on the other hand, has been struggling lately, with no victories in their last five games, drawing two and losing three. During this period, they drew against Incheon United and Gwangju Sangmu at home, and lost to Gangwon, Ulsan Hyundai, and Gimpo FC away, suffering a three-game losing streak on the road. Jeonbuk has lost six of their nine away matches this season, boasting the highest away losing percentage (66.7%) in the league, surpassing bottom-placed Daegu FC’s away loss rate of 55.6%.

In head-to-head records, Jeonbuk holds the upper hand over the past three years, winning four, drawing four, and losing two times in ten encounters (including league and ACL matches). Even in Daejeon’s home fixtures, Jeonbuk has a record of three wins, two draws, and one loss.

Both teams will be without key players due to injuries. Daejeon will miss two rotational forwards, Brazilian import Lucas Barros (seven K League appearances without a goal this season) and Korean player Kim Yong-joon (six league appearances with one assist).

Jeonbuk Hyundai, on the other hand, will be without five players: defender Hong Jeong-ho, forward Kwon Chang-hoon, winger Hernanes, Marcus Vinicius, and forward Seung-Jin Sung. Among them, Hong is a South Korean international, while Hernanes has scored seven goals in 10 appearances across all competitions this season, particularly shining in the ACL.

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