Ulsan Hyundai has a chance.
Ulsan will face Daegu FC in the 35th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at 2 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium. Currently, Ulsan is in first place in the league with 67 points, while Daegu is in sixth place with 49 points.
A day before the match between Ulsan and Daegu, the match between Jeonbuk Hyundai and Pohang Steelers will take place on the afternoon of the 28th. If Pohang fails to win this game and Ulsan wins in Daegu, they will clinch the league title early. The two teams are currently separated by eight points, but a win for Ulsan would increase their lead to 10 points, even if Pohang draws. With three games remaining, the maximum Pohang can earn is three points. This would automatically clinch the championship for Ulsan.도메인
If this scenario plays out in Round 35, Ulsan will win their second consecutive league title. Last season, Ulsan clinched the title early against Gangwon FC in Round 37, and this time around, you can expect to see them enjoy the title in front of their home fans. This will be the second consecutive league title for the club.
Ulsan’s chances of winning the title have been discussed since the beginning of the season. After opening the season with six straight wins, Ulsan lost to Daejeon Hana Citizens, drew with Pohang, and then won six games in a row again. By Round 19, the end of the first half, Ulsan had 15 wins, two draws, two losses, and 47 points. They were literally on fire.
But Ulsan started to falter in the summer, and Pohang pushed hard when Ulsan stalled. Ulsan was still the favorite to win the title, but there was no talk of a magic number. Ulsan was in a slump, unable to recapture their early-season pace.
The opportunity came quickly, with chasing Pohang picking up three points in four games, including a loss against last-place Suwon Samsung. Ulsan had five points from their last four games to close the gap. The two-point gap was bigger than it seemed. Depending on the outcome of the 35th round, Ulsan could quickly erase the magic number and repeat their league title from last season.
If Ulsan can clinch the title early, it will make the rest of their schedule easier to manage. Ulsan has a busy schedule, juggling the league with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League (ACL). They’re already traveling to Johor early next month. It’s understandable that Ulsan would want to clinch the title early and then rest their players for a better performance in the AFC.