Sangju Sangmu vs. Incheon United Pick – K League 1, August 29, 2020

Is the great escape still on? Incheon United looked dead and buried just a few weeks ago but now stand a great chance of staying up after some positive results.

The army team is next up on Saturday – and with a recent rotation of players, Sangju Sangmu has dropped some points as it looks to keep up with the top two.

It has been a risky game backing Incheon United this season, as week after week would pass without a single victory achieved. But there have been more positive results in the last two rounds of fixtures and the odds for a draw – or even an away win – do look very tempting now.

With military service terms coming to an end, there has been a lot of change in the Sangju Sangmu squad recently. Although manager Kim Tae-wan has done well to keep the team tight there will naturally be a little readjustment needed as the new players find their feet in the team.

That is probably the main reason for the dip in form in the last two weeks but the opponents should be taken into account as well. Both 2-1 defeats were to sides looking very good at the moment – a resurgent FC Seoul and a Jeonbuk chasing Ulsan at the top of the table.

But Incheon United will be a tough adversary on Saturday as well. With a permanent manager now installed there have been two wins in as many weeks for the club – not bad, considering there had been none at all in the 15 weeks previously. Goals have still been hard to come by but there is just a three-point gap at the bottom of K League 1 now.

Last weekend’s 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Suwon was a huge result for Incheon. Although top scorer Stefan Mugosa was unable to add to his tally in that game, the news that the Montenegrin striker will now be available for this fixture is a welcome boost. He was to meet up with his national side but the game has now been postponed, allowing him to stay in South Korea.

I’m trying not to get carried away by Incheon United’s recent resurgence but the very likeable club has performed much better in the last two weeks and has fully deserved the maximum points. Sangju Sangmu is a very well disciplined team though and making it three out of three is a very tough ask. I think the odds for a draw here offer better value.