Ulsan HD will look to extend their winning streak at home against Gangwon FC.
Ulsan hosts Gangwon in the seventh round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Munsu Soccer Stadium.
After six matches, Ulsan sits in third place with three wins, two draws, and one loss for 11 points. In what has been an unusually close season, Ulsan can move up to the top of the standings with three points against fifth-place Gangwon, depending on the results of the other teams ahead of them (first-place Pohang Steelers on 13 points and second-place Gimcheon Sangmu on 12 points).
Ulsan defeated Suwon FC 3-0 in the sixth round on June 6, thanks to goals from Lee Dong-kyung, Rubikson, and Lee Min-gyu. They have proved to be a formidable foe, winning their last three matches unbeaten (two draws, one loss) and nine straight against Suwon FC.
Lee Dong-kyung, who opened the scoring
He’s now has five goals and two assists in six league games, good for more than one offensive point per game. He is tied with Gangwon’s Lee Sang-heon (7 goals) for the most offensive points. 바카라사이트 Coincidentally, this matchup pits the first and second leading scorers of both teams against each other.
It’s also worth noting that both players are from Ulsan’s U18 youth team, Hyundai High School. Lee Dong-kyung and Lee Sang-heon were born in 1997 and 1998, respectively, and are just one year apart in age, having played together in the Hyundai High School jersey.
Despite their shared roots, it will be interesting to see how the two players will perform when they finally meet as opponents after different professional journeys. It will also be interesting to see who will record more offensive points between Lee Dong-kyung, who has five goals and two assists, and Lee Sang-heon, who has seven offensive points.
In the last match against Suwon FC, Ulsan’s goalkeeper Lee Min-kyu finally exploded. After scoring three goals in the first and second leg of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) round of 16 against Banfore Kofu in February, he hadn’t scored in the league. Against Suwon FC, he came on as a second-half substitute and finished Kim Min-woo’s pass in the box in stoppage time for his first league goal in five games. It was a whopping 45 days since he tasted goal in an official match.
Ulsan’s firepower is starting to come alive again
As the yellow-haired Swede Rubiksson (1 goal, 1 assist) also scored his first goal in five league games. Most encouragingly, the defense has settled down after a shaky start. Against Suwon FC, the line of Hwang Seok-ho and Lim Jong-jong was activated. Together with the ever-shining Cho Hyun-woo, they put a lock on the opposition’s onslaught and secured their first clean sheet in five matches since March 1 against Pohang Steelers (1-0).
Now, they just need Uhm Sala to break out. Uhm Won-sang had two assists in the first and second leg of the ACL Round of 16 against Kofu, but has no offensive points in three league games. One of the reasons why Ulsan will be counting on him is that he has many fond memories of Gangwon. He has four goals and two assists in seven games for Gangwon since joining the club in 2022. It will be interesting to see if Uhm Won-sang can find the back of the net for the first time in the league this season.
Ulsan faced Gangwon three times last season, winning two and losing one. The 0-2 loss on Aug. 12 last year ended an 11-year unbeaten streak of 25 games against Gangwon (21 wins and four draws), but Ulsan still holds a commanding 26-5-3 advantage in the all-time series. 파워볼실시간 With a victory at home, the team will now prepare for the upcoming ACL quarterfinals against Yokohama F.Marinos (first leg, Oct. 17, 7 p.m., Munsu Soccer Stadium; second leg, Oct. 24, 7 p.m., Yokohama International Stadium).