Sangju Sangmu vs. Seongnam – K League 1, September 12, 2020

The battle for a top-six place at the split continues as Seongnam looks to make a late run for a berth as it travels to play Sangju Sangmu this Saturday.

The army side has already qualified for the top six and will look to put in as strong an effort as possible in the last eight games before its already agreed upon relegation to the second tier at the end of the season.

BetOnline can hardly call this one as the home side is given the very slight favorite tag. Seongnam’s win against Jeonbuk last weekend must be a big factor in that reading of the game as the Magpies have not been overly successful this season – and I would have expected Sangju Sangmu to be strongly favored here instead.

It might only be playing for pride – with no AFC Champions League qualification allowed and relegation to K League 2 already decided – but Sangju Sangmu has shown an enviable spirit this season. The traditional squad upheaval has also had little effect and Kim Tae-wan’s side has continued to flourish.

Last weekend’s narrow victory over Suwon may have been too close for comfort but it was just as important as the win against Incheon the week before. If the military team is to prove to be one of the better teams in K League 1 this season it needs to be able to take all three points from those kinds of fixtures.

The same could be said for this Saturday’s game against Seongnam. The Magpies will be buoyed by the shock win against Jeonbuk Sunday though. A goal in each half was enough the win the points and cause a real headache for Jose Morais as he attempts to lead Jeonbuk to a fourth successive title.

Now Seongnam must follow that up with another win on Saturday. But that is easier said than done. It is still only bottom of the table Incheon that has scored fewer goals this season – even if the defense has been doing its job throughout. Against such a disciplined side as Sangju Sangmu there may not be that many chances made to affect the scoreline.

Those looking purely at form will fancy Seongnam to follow up the win against Jeonbuk with another here but I feel that is simplifying the situation too much. This will be a close game between two well-drilled teams. It might end up being a draw but I’m going to go for a narrow home win instead.