Suwon Samsung and Suwon FC will play the final ‘Suwon Derby’ of the season at the Suwon Sports Complex on April 12. Suwon is at the bottom of the K League 1 table with 26 points, while Suwon FC is six points above them in 10th place with 32 points.
Both teams are desperate for points. Along with Gangwon FC (27 points), they’ve been stuck in the relegation zone for quite some time, but the final three games of the final round could prove to be a slippery slope.굿모닝토토
Suwon is looking to avoid direct relegation with a last-place finish. This is Suwon’s last chance to close the gap on ninth-place Jeju United (39 points) and avoid a relegation playoff (PO) to stay in the top flight. Coincidentally, Suwon FC’s remaining games are against Suwon, Gangwon, and Jeju. A loss would be twice as devastating.
It’s like facing an enemy with a wooden leg. This season’s “Suwon Derby” has been dominated by Suwon FC with three wins. In all three meetings this season, Suwon has scored at least two goals in each game. Despite conceding the most goals in K League 1 (70), they don’t concede as many as they do against Suwon. They dominated Suwon in the offense.
The team’s top scorer is Lee Seung-woo (10 goals – 7th). The team has been led by Lee Seung-woo since his contract was terminated after he was caught driving under the influence of alcohol, with Yoon Beom-garam and Lee Young-jae in the midfield and Kim Hyun and Lopez up front. Although their conceding rate is somewhat high due to their inherent defensive insecurity, they are determined to take control of both the process and the outcome as it is a ‘rivalry match’. Winning is great, but not losing is just as important.
Suwon entered the final round with a 0-2 loss to Jeju and a 2-2 draw against Daejeon Hana Citizen. In the Daejeon game, Suwon led 2-0, but had to settle for a point thanks to two goals from Thul. The challenge will be to revive the lack of backbone and concentration that came out as the game wore on.
If Suwon loses to Suwon FC, their chances of finishing in the top 10 will be zero. Aside from Suwon FC, Suwon also has a tough remaining schedule. After the ‘Suwon Derby’, a ‘Super Match’ against FC Seoul awaits, a team that hasn’t won a single game this season. For now, Suwon wants to focus on facing Suwon FC. It’s going to be a tough one.