Incheon United will face Suwon FC in the first round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Incheon Football Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on the 2nd.
This is the first game of this season. Last season, Incheon had 56 points (14 wins, 14 draws and 10 fe), finishing the season in fifth place with a one point gap with fourth-ranked Jeonbuk. It had 45 goals in 38 league matches and 35 goals lost. It had difficulties falling to the relegation zone in the early part of this season, but succeeded in rebounding in the second half.
Unlike Incheon, Suwon had a difficult season. It had a whopping 21 losses out of 38 league games, ranking 11th in the league with 33 points (eight wins, nine draws and 21 losses).
They also had promotion and playoff stages. Suwon, which had been in a tight corner by losing 1-2 in the first away match against Busan, dramatically turned the game upside down in the second. Suwon won 5-2 after a close game in overtime. It survived with a combined score of 6-4.
Incheon has less change than last season. Coach Cho Sung-hwan is still at the helm, and there is no big recruitment except for Lee Bum-soo, Sung Yoon-soo, and Matei Yonichi. Many of them, including Kim Joon-beom and Hernandez, have left the team, but coach Cho Sung-hwan’s color will not change in a big way. In defense, Oh Ban-seok will take the center stage, while captain Lee Myung-joo and vice-captain Kim Do-hyuk will take the post of the team.
Incheon coach Cho Sung-hwan said at the media day event for the opening of the K League 2024 on the 26th of last month, “We have prepared a lot of winter training so that we do not repeat the relegation crisis we experienced last year.”
Everything has changed for Suwon FC. Kim Eun-joong, who ranked fourth at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, has taken the helm. He embraced Ji Dong-won as a free agent and Jung Seung-won from his regional rival Suwon Samsung. He even harbored Kwon Kyung-won, a former member of the national team.
“The team had a hard time last year. We prepared a lot in the winter to avoid repeating the same situation,” coach Kim Eun-joong said during the media day. “We will manage a stable team in the mid-range and show performance that develops every game.”
Meanwhile, Incheon has a slight advantage in its three showdowns last season with one win and two draws. In the last 10 games, Incheon has recorded three wins, six draws and one loss.
BY: 토토사이트 순위