Soccer Update: K League Week 11 Picks And Predictions

The K League is the top football division in the men’s category in South Korea, comprising twelve clubs. Many soccer fans took to watching the K League when other sports across the world were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting them down. The League is going strong and has some good potential for betting, so, let us take a look at Week 11’s fixtures and odds. 

Pohang Steelers vs. Suwon Bluewings

Pohang has been on a great winning streak, and they will go into their game against Suwon hoping to extend their streak. Their previous games have all been ones to watch - they thrashed Seongnam 4-0 in their most recent game, and have not lost any game since their 2-1 loss to the 1st place Jeonbuk back in mid-June. 

Pohang has, since then, beat Gangwon, Gwangju, and Seongnam and has managed to move up to fifth place in the table, racing past Gyeongju Citizens in the standings. They are now only five points behind Jeonbuk. Their striker from Germany, Stanislav Iljutcenko, has been playing his very best, with seven goals and four assists to his name.

Aleksandar Palocevic and Son Min-Kyu have also been playing very well with four goals each. Because of these strikers, Pohang now has one of the best-attacking records in the K League. Their defense is not up to the mark but has been more consistent of late. This will be an added advantage while playing Suwon; the team has not had anything going their way recently. 

Their past three games saw them leave with only one point, and they have fallen to the 10th place, a solid spot to enter the relegation round. The previous head-to-head meeting between the two teams ended 2-0 in favor of Pohang. This game also looks like it will end that way. 

Jeonbuk Motors vs. Seongnam Ilhwa

Jeonbuk suffered a horrible defeat at the hands of Sangju Sangmu in their previous match, and they will be playing to recoup that loss. They are the league leaders, and what caused their problem was when left-back Kim Jin-Su got sent off and benched due to an injury. 

The other team gunning for the title, Ulsan, managed to win 4-1 against the low ranked Incheon United. This means that Ulsan picked up points when Jeonbuk couldn’t, and have now made up the point difference between them. Jeonbuk’s lead holds good by only one point, and they will be looking to boost that. 

Their defense is solid this season, having allowed only 5 goals in the past 10 games played this season. Their striking and offense needs a boost. They have younger strikers who could do the job - Iljutcenko or Junior Negao, and this should ease the pressure off Lee Dong-Gook. 

But with respect to their immediate match, even this change isn’t really needed. Seongnam is struggling right now, and they are at the second last position in the league. Pohang beat them 4-0 in their last match, and they have only scored six goals in their ten matches this season. This alone should be enough to show that Jeonbuk will win this game, probably in their trademark narrow difference and low scoring manner. Either way, the match will go in favor of Jeonbuk with under 3.5 goals. 

Daegu vs. Ulsan Hyundai

The K League’s most performative teams add to the bonanza this week, playing each other, and promising one super entertaining match. Daegu has a spectacular strike record at 21 goals over ten matches this season, and 19 of these goals came from the last six matches alone. They are currently fourth on the leaderboard and have a three-game winning streak coming into this week’s game. Daegu is only four points behind Ulsan, which is second in the league standings. 

Ulsan’s form is looking better than ever with Junior Negao the current top scorer of the league. He is comfortably ahead of Iljutcenko and Daegu’s Cesinha, both of whom have also been impressive. Both the teams appear to be genuinely in the title race and have the form and history to prove it. That is why this game could go any way, with both the contenders playing their best and making it difficult for the other to prevail. 

This will make for an entertaining match to watch, but might not be the best one to bet on, simply because the teams look very well-matched against each other. You can place a bet on the number of goals as there will be many during this game.