Which team will be relegated to K-League 2 in ‘Hana One Q K-League 1 2023’, which has entered the final round and is approaching the end of the season.
With more attention being paid to Final B (the match for 7th to 12th places) more than any other season, FC Seoul unintentionally took control of the casting board. Unfortunately, they were unable to advance to Final A (1st to 6th place match), but by being part of Final B, they were confirmed to remain in the first division next season.
K League 1 entered the final round with five games per team, starting with the match between Pohang and Incheon on the 20th. The six teams that advanced to Final A, including Ulsan Hyundai, Pohang Steelers, Gwangju FC, Jeonbuk Hyundai, Daegu FC, and Incheon United, will race until early December for the championship and three tickets to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
At the same time, the six Final B teams – FC Seoul, Daejeon Hana Citizen, Jeju United, Suwon FC, Gangwon FC, and Suwon Samsung – are literally fighting for survival to avoid relegation.
However, there are actually 5 teams competing to remain in Final A, not 6. This is because even if 7th place Seoul loses all of its remaining games, there is no chance of not only direct relegation given to the last place, but also the promotion playoffs held by 10th and 11th places.
Seoul, which had been competing for the top spot until the beginning of this season, has been experiencing a downward trend since July and has fallen into difficulties. During this process, the team experienced twists and turns, such as coach Ahn Ik-soo leaving and head coach Kim Jin-gyu taking over as acting coach. There was a possibility of advancing to the semifinals in the 33rd round against Jeonbuk, which was the last game before entering the final round, but they lost 0-2 and were sent down to Final B.
Seoul’s current record is 12 wins, 11 draws, and 10 losses (47 points). Currently, Suwon Samsung is in last place with 25 points, and Gangwon is in 11th place with 26 points. And Suwon FC remains in 10th place with 31 points.
Since Seoul is 16 points ahead of 10th-place Suwon FC, there is a 0% chance of going down to the second division even if they lose all of their games in Final B. 8th place Daejeon (45 points) and 9th place Jeju (35 points) have not yet confirmed their stay in the first division. Of course, Daejeon is expected to remain in the first division next season. Jeju may be upset and get caught up in a relegation battle.
As a result, it has become very important for teams fighting for relegation, 토토사이트especially Suwon, Gangwon, Suwon FC, and Jeju, how to win points against Seoul. Conversely, depending on how Seoul composed its power and controlled its conditions in each Final B game, some interesting situations unfolded where the opposing team cried and laughed.
The bracket is also strange. They will immediately face 11th place Gangwon FC at home on the 22nd and then play 10th place Suwon FC on the 29th. Then, they take a breather during the FA Cup semifinals and finals, and then play an away game on November 11 against Jeju, who are also in danger of relegation and have even changed their coach. After a two-week break for the international break, they will play a home super match against Suwon on November 25th. It is possible to control the fate of rival Suwon through the super match. There is a high possibility that the final away game of the season against Daejeon on December 2 will be played like a friendly game.
This season’s Final B is expected to receive more attention than Final A than any other year due to the possibility of direct relegation of traditional club Suwon, the fall of corporate team Jeju, and the struggles of Gangwon and Suwon FC, who spend a considerable amount of money for a city and provincial team. Meanwhile, the moves of Seoul, a team confirmed to remain, doubled the fun.