With four games left until the split, FC Seoul are full steam ahead in their race toward the title. Meanwhile, Ulsan travel to an Anyang side whose season has come off the rails, while Daejeon are firing on all cylinders to solidify their top-half spot. Here’s what to expect in K League 1 Round 30.
🗓️ Saturday, 19th September (16:30 KST)
Bucheon (10th) vs. Gimcheon (11th)
Preview: With only 12 points left to play for, both sides are already consigned to Final B, making another autumn meeting inevitable. The form guide offers little encouragement, either. Both teams are winless in five, though Gimcheon have drawn four of those matches while Bucheon have lost three. It will be interesting to see what kind of intensity we get, given that neither side has much left to fight for.
↩️ Previous meetings: Gimcheon 1-1 Bucheon (11th July); Bucheon 0-2 Gimcheon (25th April)
💡 Prediction: Bucheon 1-1 Gimcheon
🗓️ Saturday, 19th September (19:00 KST)
Anyang (9th) vs. Ulsan (2nd)
Preview: Coming off the back of wins over Seoul and Incheon, Ulsan travel to Anyang looking for all three points to keep the pressure on both Jeonbuk below them and Seoul above. They have won three of their last four matches and look to be finally hitting their stride ahead of the split. Anyang, meanwhile, are desperately out of form. They have managed just one win in five – back at the end of August – and have already dropped points this month with two defeats and two draws, including a 1–1 stalemate at Gwangju last time out. Anyang’s Final A hopes seem to have slipped away, however Ulsan are refusing to give up on the title.
↩️ Previous meetings: Ulsan 3-1 Anyang (2nd August); Anyang 1-1 Ulsan (22nd April)
💡 Prediction: Anyang 1-2 Ulsan
🗓️ Sunday, 20th September (16:30 KST)
Gangwon (5th) vs. Jeju (4th)
Preview: A game of real intrigue on the east coast. Unlike the fixture in Bucheon, this one carries significant ramifications at the top end of the table, with continental qualification the ultimate carrot. Gangwon are in ACL Two this season, but Jeju haven’t played on that stage since 2018. Jeju sit a point ahead, but Gangwon hold a crucial game in hand and come into this unbeaten in five. Will Gangwon’s midweek trip to Hong Kong take its toll?
↩️ Previous meetings: Jeju 1-1 Gangwon (21st July); Gangwon 1-1 Jeju (22nd March)
💡 Prediction: Gangwon 1-1 Jeju
🗓️ Sunday, 20th September (16:30 KST)
Jeonbuk (3rd) vs. Gwangju (12th)
Preview: Will this be the game where Gwangju finally pick up their second win of the season? Probably not, although they did battle to a 0–0 draw earlier in the year. Jeonbuk played in the ACL in midweek, so they’ll have an extra 90 minutes in their legs, but realistically this ought to be another win for the boys in green. Now four points behind Ulsan and nineteen behind Seoul at the top, they’ll also be hoping Anyang can do them a massive favour in the battle for second place.
↩️ Previous meetings: Jeonbuk 4-0 Gwangju (5th May); Gwangju 0-0 Jeonbuk (14th March)
💡 Prediction: Jeonbuk 3-1 Gwangju
🗓️ Sunday, 20th September (19:00 KST)
Incheon (7th) vs. Daejeon (6th)
Preview: A Daejeon victory here would all but slam the door on Incheon’s Final A hopes. Incheon head into this clash in patchy form at best, taking just four points from the last 15 available, while Daejeon have finally found the spark that eluded them earlier in the campaign. The Citizens were in action midweek – marking their first-ever ACL match – but Tuesday to Sunday offers plenty of recovery time. It is hard to shake the feeling that Daejeon are on a late-season tear with second place firmly in their sights, especially after snatching victory from the brink against Pohang with two stunning late strikes. Interestingly, while Incheon dominate the historic head-to-head with 14 wins to Daejeon’s four, three of those Daejeon victories have arrived in the last four meetings.
↩️ Previous meetings: Daejeon 0-0 Incheon (5th May); Incheon 1-3 Daejeon (18th March)
💡 Prediction: Incheon 1-1 Daejeon
🗓️ Sunday, 20th September (19:00 KST)
Pohang (8th) vs. Seoul (1st)
Preview: Pohang are winless in four and have slipped down to eighth, largely due to a blunt attack following the departure of Lee Ho-jae – in fact, they are the second-lowest scorers in the league with just 26 goals in 29 games. Seoul, meanwhile, need to bounce back from a disappointing midweek home defeat against Indonesian outfit Persib. While they remain 15 points clear at the summit, any ground gained by Ulsan could push Seoul’s coronation until after the split. This game will be played in Sangju while the Steel Yard remains out of action.
↩️ Previous meetings: Seoul 3-1 Pohang (22nd July); Pohang 0-1 Seoul (18th March)
💡 Prediction: Pohang 1-3 Seoul
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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