There’s no place for retreat. Bae Soo-jin’s determination will be needed to secure victory. Jeonbuk Hyundai and FC Seoul will meet on a wooden bridge as they both dream of reaching the Final A.

Jeonbuk and Seoul will meet in the 33rd and final round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 regular season at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 3 p.m. on Aug. 8. Jeonbuk is currently in seventh place with 46 points, while Seoul is in fifth place with 47 points.

It’s a watershed moment that could be the most important 90 minutes of the season. This is the game that will determine who will be on the last train to Final A.

Currently, there are four teams that have secured their spot in Final A: leader Ulsan (66 points), Pohang (58 points), Gwangju (51 points), and Daegu (48 points). Seoul, Incheon (over 47 points), and Jeonbuk are battling it out for the last two spots.

Jeonbuk needs three points first. If they beat Seoul, they will advance to Final A regardless of the outcome of the Incheon-Ulsan match at the same time. With 49 points, they’ll finish two points ahead of Seoul.

A draw would complicate things. Even if Incheon draws against Ulsan, Jeonbuk will go to Final B for the first time in its history. Even if Incheon loses, there are a number of conditions that need to be met, including goals scored and goals against. Currently, Incheon has 38 points and a goal differential of +1, while Jeonbuk has 37 points and a goal differential of +6.

Jeonbuk is not at full strength right now. Unlike Seoul, who had a week off, Jeonbuk traveled to Bangkok in the middle of the week, so they are at a physical disadvantage. In addition, the team has five players (Baek Seung-ho, Park Jin-seop, Song Min-kyu, Park Jae-yong, and Kim Jung-hoon) who were called up for the Asian Games.

However, Jeonbuk will have to find a way to win. As the most decorated team in K League 1 (nine times) and the only team to have never missed the Final A, a win is essential to preserve their pride.

“Jeonbuk is not a team that falters based on the presence or absence of players,” said veteran Kim Jin-soo, who recently returned from injury, “We are looking forward to the game against Seoul. It’s not important to have players or not to have players to achieve the desired result. If the players don’t prepare properly and don’t put in the effort, they will go down. We have to do our best to prepare,” he said.

The stakes are high for Seoul as well. A draw in front of their home fans will secure their place in the Final A, so they are determined to win. 토토사이트

Seoul has been rested since their last match against Suwon FC on March 30 (1-1 draw), so they are physically ready. Ahn Ik-soo’s voluntary resignation as head coach of the club was followed by Kim Jin-gyu’s appointment. Seoul have stabilized with two wins, one draw, and one loss since Kim took over, and are now just one step away from a Final A spot.

If Seoul defeats Jeonbuk at home, they will have the added bonus of breaking the jinx of 19 games without a win (5 draws, 14 losses) against Jeonbuk. Seoul hasn’t won against Jeonbuk since July 2017. This season, they’ve only managed a draw and a loss. For Seoul, the fate of the season and breaking the jinx are at stake.