A win for Seoul and defeats for Ulsan and Jeonbuk last weekend seem to have settled any semblance of a title race. Now, the battle for second place is well and truly on. Gangwon, by beating Ulsan, have kept themselves in contention, while Jeonbuk’s damaging loss to Bucheon means Jeju are pulling themselves into that conversation too. With just three points separating the chasing pack, Round 24 is shaping up to be a big one.
🗓️ Saturday, 22nd August (19:30 KST)
Anyang (7th) vs. Seoul (1st)
Preview: Anyang have lost three in a row in the league and are desperate for a win. Meanwhile, Seoul got their first win in four last weekend against Daejeon. This game is expected to be a sell-out, with Seoul selling out their allocation in under a minute. Historically, this fixture has often ended in a draw: of the five K League 1 meetings between the clubs, each team has won once. Anyang have only two wins from 13 home games this season and will hope to pick up a third this weekend. Seoul will look to take advantage of the Jeonbuk–Ulsan fixture and put further distance between themselves and the trailing pack.
↩️ Previous meeting: Seoul 0-0 Anyang
💡 Prediction: Anyang 1-3 Seoul
🗓️ Saturday, 22nd August (19:30 KST)
Jeju (5th) vs. Gimcheon (11th)
Preview: Jeju are on fire at the minute, and are undefeated in their last eight league games dating back to a fixture with Anyang in May. The Islanders have three wins in five, including victories over Jeonbuk and Anyang. Despite this, they haven’t beaten Gimcheon this year; both games this season have finished 1-1. Gimcheon have 13 draws this year—the most in the league—and have suffered fewer defeats than most teams around them. Jeju’s last victory against Gimcheon was in September 2024, while Gimcheon’s last win in this fixture came in July 2025.
↩️ Previous meeting: Gimcheon 1-1 Jeju
💡 Prediction: Jeju 2-1 Gimcheon
🗓️ Saturday, 22nd August (19:30 KST)
Jeonbuk (4th) vs. Ulsan (2nd)
Preview: This weekend sees the third Hyundai Derby of the season. Jeonbuk have won both prior meetings, but go into this fixture in poorer form. Ulsan have three wins from their last four, whereas Jeonbuk are floundering with no win in three. This game feels like a battle for second, as both sides look to outlast Gangwon in the table. A win for Jeonbuk would move them level on points with Ulsan.
↩️ Previous meeting: Ulsan 1-3 Jeonbuk
💡 Prediction: Jeonbuk 2-0 Ulsan
🗓️ Saturday, 22nd August (19:30 KST)
Pohang (6th) vs. Bucheon (9th)
Preview:
Bucheon have one defeat in five and come into this game on the back of a win over Jeonbuk, where they led 3-0 before running out 3-2 winners. Pohang picked up their first win in five against Gwangju last weekend, but have otherwise not been performing particularly well. Bucheon are the unlikely favourites going in, having won the previous fixture 2-0, after managing a 0-0 draw earlier in the season in Pohang.
Note: This game has been switched to a Bucheon home fixture due to issues at the Steelyard.
↩️ Previous meeting: Bucheon 2-0 Pohang
💡 Prediction: Bucheon 1-1 Pohang
🗓️ Sunday, 23rd August (19:30 KST)
Daejeon (10th) vs. Gangwon (3rd)
Preview: Daejeon have just one victory in ten attempts against this weekend’s opposition as they welcome Gangwon to the Daejeon World Cup Stadium. Gangwon have picked up a pair of 2-0 wins in this fixture so far, but come into the match on the back of a punishing schedule that saw them play 120 midweek minutes against both Gamba Osaka and Seongnam, either side of last weekend’s 3-2 win over Ulsan. The hosts were also in midweek cup action, but won 3-2 in normal time against Chungnam Asan, albeit with a full-strength side. Daejeon have two league wins in three and need to add another if they want any chance of finishing in Final A.
↩️ Previous meeting: Gangwon 2-0 Daejeon
💡 Prediction: Daejeon 1-2 Gangwon
🗓️ Sunday, 23rd August (19:30 KST)
Gwangju (12th) vs. Incheon (8th)
Preview: Gwangju still have only one win all season, and that was 3-2 in this fixture in Round 2. Since then, the teams have had very different fortunes, with Gwangju struggling for form and finding themselves cut adrift at the bottom. They have lost three of their last four games and are now 14 points behind Gimcheon Sangmu at the foot of the table. Incheon, meanwhile, are four points behind Jeju in fifth, a point behind Pohang in sixth, and have their eyes firmly set on a Final A finish. This week, Incheon strengthened their squad by signing former Daejeon and Seoul E-Land forward Leandro in the hope he can fire them into the top half of the table.
↩️ Previous meeting: Incheon 4-0 Gwangju
💡 Prediction: Gwangju 1-2 Incheon
English Coverage
All K1 and K2 games are available to stream on K League TV. The following games will be presented with English-language commentary:
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