Sangju Sangmu vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Sangju Sangmu have been on a remarkable rise here in the K-League, but their chops will be tested when they host the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at the Sangju Civic Stadium this Sunday evening.
After playing nine games in the Korean top-flight league, the military men continue to exceed expectations as they build off from their memorable campaign last season.
Sangju Sangmu have emerged as their fourth-seeded team in the updated K-League standings – with 17 points already and are only trailing by seven against their visitors.
Kim Tae-wan and his men are currently enjoying a three-game winning streak and they have yet to be defeated since mid-June.
They will be facing a Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors team who are basking in great form recently. The defending champions sit atop of the league with 24 points and they have only lost once so far.
Meanwhile, Jose Morais’ men are coming into this game with a lot of confidence after defeating their rivals in Ulsan Hyundai during their last matchup and they will be keen on trying to break away with the pack as the days go by.
Can the military men prevent the defending champs from doing so? Or will Jeonbuk assert their mastery over them once more?
SBOBET offers you this weekend’s match preview.
Talking points
Sangju Sangmu facing a huge test
Kim Tae-hwan’s side have indeed become the surprise package for this season given to where they are now in the standings.
But they did experience some ups and downs during their campaign, which includes suffering a beatdown against Ulsan Hyundai on the first matchday and then recently against the Pohang Steelers.
The military men bounced back, however, by stringing together a couple of victories to help their cause. And a huge part of their success so far is due to their stingy defence.
In their ongoing winning streak, Sangju Sangmu’s backline has not conceded a single goal – which is a testament to Kim Tae-hwan’s genius at the coaching helm.
A lot of pundits were skeptic on Sangju Sangmu’s unprecedented rise last season as most would think that they won’t be able to replicate it with the departures of Yoon Bo-sang, Kwon Wan-kyu, Lee Gyu-seong, Park Yong-ji, and Kim Gun-hee.
But the likes of Oh Se-hoon and Moon Seon-min have been instrumental at the attack, and those names will be surely on Jose Morais’ scouting report.
Sangju Sangmu will need more from their other players in order to give themselves a chance of winning this weekend. Their defence will be put the test as they can’t afford to slip-up against a deep roster like Jeonbuk.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will continue to step on to the gas pedal
With eight wins and one loss so far, Jeonbuk have been riding high in confidence with a big target on their backs.
They were tested last week against Ulsan Hyundai on the road and they eventually came away with a win when their rivals were reduced to 10 men.
It was a fitting statement for the defending champions who have had unconvincing results prior to that match.
They could’ve scored more against the likes of Incheon United and Gwangju FC and they were on the wrong end of an upset against Gangwon FC at the end of May.
After this match, Jeonbuk will enter to the lighter part of their schedule as they’ll face Seongnam FC, Incheon United, and FC Seoul in their next few fixtures.
This represents a unique opportunity for Jose Morais’ side to build a big lead in the table against their counterparts.
History
Sangju Sangmu and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have faced each other 26 times already.
Jeonbuk have clearly dominated this head-to-head matchup as they’ve notched 20 wins while Sangju Sangmu won only once along with five draws.
The only time that the military men won over the defending champions is back in 2017 to where they scored a 2-1 victory.
It took a goal from Kim Ho-nam in added time to secure the win for the military men. The midfield ace right now plays for the cellar dwellers in Incheon United.
Betting tip
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Sangju Sangmu vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.87 |
| July 5, 18:00(GMT+8) |
For this match, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are the hot favourites in our K-League 2020 odds as they are priced at 1.67, while Sangju Sangmu are at 4.50 and a draw is at 3.85 in the 1×2 market.
There are two things to consider here before ultimately placing your wagers. One is that Jeonbuk’s recent K-League 2020 results haven’t been entirely convincing, and two, Sangju Sangmu just continue to get better.
It’s expected that Sangju Sangmu will give Jeonbuk all they could handle. However, I think that the overall superiority and championship mettle by the defending champions will be the main difference in this fixture.
Avoiding a loss here should already make the military men happy. However, anything less than a win will be considered as a slip-up if you’re Jeonbuk.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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