Sangju Sangmu vs. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors – K League 1, September 27, 2020

With just five games to go, it is really just between the top two in the league now – and Jeonbuk still needs to make up two points on league leaders Ulsan.

The first opportunity to bridge that gap comes this Sunday as the Green Warriors travel to take on the army team.

All neutrals will surely be hoping that the title race goes down to the wire like last season – and the bookmakers’ evaluation of the Jeonbuk and Ulsan’s games suggest that it could get even closer this weekend. But those are very attractive odds for a Sangju Sangmu win.

After three wins in four, it did look as if an 85th-minute equalizer from Kim Min-hyeok last week had salvaged a point in a pulsating game with Pohang. Both sides had already qualified for the top six but the game was an outstanding spectacle. But there was still further drama when the Steelers scored deep in stoppage time to clinch a place in next year’s AGC Champions League.

The army team should have no problem coming back from such a blow though, as Kim Tae-wan’s team has an understandably high level of discipline and has been taking adverse results in its stride this season. The two games were shared one win apiece by the sides during the regular season, so this should be another enthralling fixture.

Jeonbuk wobbled at the end of August but has now stabilized and will believe that this game is an excellent opportunity to close the gap at the top. With just two points as the difference, manager Jose Morais knows that it could just take one week for the title race to have a completely different outlook.

Although Ulsan is still leading the way, it is arguably Jeonbuk who has looked better since the summer – and has definitely brought in some more interesting recruits in the transfer window. They are already contributing to the club’s success and will make their manager very happy if they can come away with the win on Sunday.

I think it is very telling that Jeonbuk is odds on to win this game away from home, whereas Ulsan’s game with Daegu has been far more closely priced. That suggests that the bookies believe that the Green Warriors could be on the cusp of yet another league title – and that could get closer with a win against Sangju Sangmu at the weekend.