FC Seoul vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Reigning K-League champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors saw their perfect start to the season snapped last weekend as they lost away to Gangwon and “Byung-soo ball.” The champions went down to 10 men early and were unable to overcome the man disadvantage.
However, Jeonbuk will be back to full strength when they pay a visit to the capital and take on FC Seoul. The Dragons also saw their early-season winning run snapped last week in dramatic fashion and will be desperate to avoid back-to-back defeats.
Talking Points
FC Seoul searching for production from strikers
FC Seoul’s two-match winning run came to a painful end last weekend as they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Seongnam. Tomislav Kis came on as a late substitute and scored a stoppage-time winner to break the Dragons’ hearts.
Despite Seongnam dominating much of possession, it was a relatively even match. Seoul had the edge in total shots (9-6) and were even on shots on target (4-4). This despite missing Aleksandar Pešić with Adriano only coming on as a second-half substitute.
FC Seoul’s early-season schedule has been a challenging one. Aside from Seongnam, they’ve also faced Gangwon and Pohang, who are both inside the top five at the moment.
It’s also impressive that they’ve picked up points despite getting nothing from their strikers — Adriano, Pešić, Park Chu-young — in the first four games.
Adriano’s return to the club was much-hyped, but the 32-year-old Brazilian has yet to rediscover the form that saw him score 45 times in 62 appearances in his first stint at Seoul.
They’ve had to rely primarily on set pieces for to score; both their goals in their come-from-behind win over Pohang Steelers came via corners.
Midfielder Osmar missed the Seongnam match due to injury but could be back for Seoul against the champions. His presence in corners will be a major weapon for the hosts.
Jeonbuk newcomers need to come good
Jeonbuk’s 100 per cent record this season came to a surprising end as they went down 1-0 at Gangwon. The champions went in as big favourites according to the K-League 2020 odds, but they were in big trouble early as centre-back Hong Jeong-Ho was sent off after just 16 minutes.
Despite going down to 10 men, Jeonbuk still put up a spirited fight in the second half; they controlled the majority of possession and had 11 shots on goal (six on target). However, they were unable to find a way to break the hosts’ resistance.
Luckily, Jeonbuk were able to maintain top spot in the standings after rivals Ulsan were held to a shock draw in their matchup against bottom-side Gwangju.
Jeonbuk will now be without the suspended Hong for their visit to Seoul, which will be a blow to a solid defensive unit that’s conceded just twice in the first four games.
However, they will get young striker Cho Kyu-Sung back to bolster their attack. Cho scored in their 2-0 win over Daegu but was sent off in stoppage time after picking up a second yellow card.
Cho’s return should provide a big boost to a Jeonbuk attack that has yet to hit the heights of last season when they led the league with 72 goals.
New midfield additions — reigning K-League MVP Kim Bo-kyung, Takahiro Kunimoto and Murilo — have yet to produce many K-League 2020 highlights, but they remain talented footballers who have the ability to play crucial roles for the champions this season.
History
Jeonbuk have had the clear upper hand in their head-to-head matchups against Seoul. In 25 meetings, Jeonbuk have won 18 games while Seoul have won just nine, with eight draws.
Last season, they faced off four times, with Jeonbuk going undefeated. They beat Seoul three times in their three scheduled meetings and drew during their championship round matchup.
That draw snapped Jeonbuk’s six-match winning run against Seoul. Four of those six wins came away from home, and they’ve won in five straight visits to the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
FC Seoul vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1X2 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors @ 1.81 |
| June 6, 3:30(GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds have priced FC Seoul as the biggest underdogs this weekend at 4.20 to snatch a home win against the champions. On the other side, Jeonbuk are 1.81 to get back to winning ways, and a draw is 3.45.
While Jeonbuk didn’t come through last weekend against Gangwon, that early sending off clearly played a huge role in their defeat.
Jeonbuk have a great record at Seoul and barring another red card, the champions should be more than capable of leaving the capital with another away win.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
