Jeju United Vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Preview

Jeju United Vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors - 3pm, Saturday 2nd May 2009 (Jeju Athletics Stadium, Jeju City)

Jeju welcome high flying Jeonbuk to Jeju City on Saturday. The visitors are unbeaten this season and have taken 14 points from just six games. In stark contrast Jeju have lost three consecutive K-League games and find themselves in the midst of an injury crisis in defence and midfield.

In truth Jeju have had a particularly tough start to the season having already made trips to Suwon and Seongnam as well as having hosted Ulsan. They can be satisfied that despite the setbacks they currently only find themselves one point off a play-off place.

A win won’t be easy this Saturday though against a team which has experienced internationals throughout. Jeju will also hope that they will have some of their defenders return from injury as Jeonbuk are high scorers, averaging three goals in each of their last three games.

Previous meetings:
Jeju have a poor record against Jeonbuk in the K-League – they have only achieved one win and a draw in the last 3 years having lost 4 games in the process:

5th Oct 2008 – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 Jeju United
10th May 2008 – Jeju United 0-1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
10th Oct 2007 – Jeju United 2-2 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
16th June 2007 – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 Jeju United
30th Aug 2006 – Jeju United 2-1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
18th March 2006 – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 Jeju United

TEAM NEWS
Kang Min-Su, Kang Joon-Woo, Cho Young-Hyung and Yun Won-Il are all unlikely to start due to injuries. Expect a makeshift defence of Lee Sang-Ho, Oh Seung-Bum and Ma Chul-Jun with Yang Se-Keun also likely to start. After appearing as a second half substitute last weekend, Vieira is also likely to make an appearance.

With the chance to go top of the K-League Jeonbuk are likely to field an attacking starting line-up including Luiz Enrique, Choi Tae-Uk, Lee Dong-Guk and new signing Eninho, who scored 11 goals for Daegu last season.

Keep an eye out for:
Winger Choi Tae-Uk (11) has scored 4 times already this season. He has made 28 appearances for the Korean national side, scoring a total of four goals.

Striker Lee Dong-Guk (20) is a veteran of the Korean national side having scored 22 goals in 71 internationals. He has already scored three times this season.

Brazilian Luiz Enrique (10) has also scored three goals for Jeonbuk this season.

Midfielder Kim Sang-Sik (4) is the club captain and has also played over 50 games for his country.

25 year old forward Kim Hyung-Bum (9) is a renowned free kick taker having scored 11 already in his career which is a record for the K-League.

Defender Lee Yo-Han (14) played 17 games for Jeju in the 2007 season.

Bet365.com Odds
Jeju Utd - 11/4 (3.75)
Draw - 23/10 (3.30)
Jeonbuk - 5/6 (1.83)

Transportation:

Free bus schedule is here:
http://www.jeju-utd.com/html/ticket_info.asp?tab_index=03

• From the airport take the number 100 bus and get off at the Suburban Bus Terminal (1,000 won, 10 minutes). Stadium is behind the bus terminal. Taxi fare is around 3,000 won, ask for Jeju Chong Hap Un Dong Chang (제주종합운동장).
• From Seogwipo catch a bus bound for Jeju City at Seogwipo bus terminal (3,000 won, 60 minutes). Bus terminates at the bus terminal, 2 minutes walk from the stadium.

K-League Table:

P	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix	7	5	1	1	12	5	+7	16	AFC Champions League group stage and K-League Playoff
2	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	6	4	2	0	13	5	+8	14
3	FC Seoul	7	3	2	2	11	6	+5	11
4	Incheon United	6	3	2	1	6	2	+4	11	K-League Playoff
5	Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	6	3	2	1	9	7	+2	11
6	Busan I'Park	7	2	2	3	8	9	−1	8
7	Gangwon FC	6	2	2	2	8	10	−2	8
8	Pohang Steelers	6	1	4	1	9	10	−1	7
9	Chunnam Dragons	6	1	4	1	12	14	−2	7
10	Jeju United	7	2	1	4	4	7	−3	7
11	Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i	6	1	3	2	4	5	−1	6
12	Daejeon Citizen	7	1	3	3	7	11	−4	6
13	Daegu FC	7	1	3	3	5	9	−4	6
14	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	7	1	2	4	5	9	−4	5
15	Gyeongnam FC	7	0	5	2	5	9	−4	5

Arthur slams K-League officials as Seongnam beat Jeju

Seongnam Ilhwa 2-0 Jeju United

Highlights video: www.jeju-utd.com (Internet Explorer only)

Some poor refereeing and continued injuries in defence helped Seongnam Ilhwa to a 2-0 victory over Jeju, a result which marks a third consecutive K-League defeat for the islanders.

Jeju have an abysmal record against Seongnam and the early signs pointed to yet another defeat when a penalty was conceded in the sixth minute. Despite Kim Song Min managing to parry Han Dong Won's penalty the Seongnam striker was quickest to respond and slotted home the rebound.

Having taken an early lead Seongnam were content to sit back and let Jeju attack. Whilst Jeju were able to maintain plenty of possession they lacked the ability to create real chances with most of their chances coming from set plays.

Oveira challenged for everything that came his way but his partnership with Shim Young Song and Oh Bong Jin was largely ineffective. Whilst Oh Bong Jin also put in a good solo performance he never looked like scoring or creating a chance for the visitors.

The second half saw more of the same with substitutes Chun Jae Woon and Vieira unable to make the breakthrough for Jeju. It was Radoncic who confirmed the game for Seongnam with just 10 minutes to go giving the home side a 2-0 win.

After the game Arthur slammed the K-League referees accusing them of making too many mistakes at key moments in recent weeks. Arthur also showed his discontent at the current method the K-League use to register players. Despite having several uninjured defenders and midfielders in the squad they are not permitted to play due to not being in the registered 25 players for the month of April.

Next up in the K-League is the visit to Jeju City of Jeonbuk on Saturday. Whilst Jeonbuk have made an excellent start to the season, Jeju will be anxious to end their run of three consecutive K-League defeats.

April 2009 Seongnam Trip

Our latest trip was to Moran Stadium in Seongnam. Its basically a carbon copy of the stadium in Jeju-si but believe it or not with less spectators. Its amazing that despite being one of the top teams in the country and being on the Seoul Metro system nobody can be bothered to go!

The atmosphere was good as a decent number of Jeju fans turned out, shame about the result but then again Jeju never beat Seongnam.


The Jeju end at half time. A fair turnout for a Jeju away game.

Seongnam Ilhwa Vs Jeju United Preview

Seongnam Ilhwa Vs Jeju United - 3pm, Sunday, 26th April 2009 (성남종합)

Jeju make the trip to seven time champions of Korea Seongnam Ilhwa on Sunday hoping to end their streak of three league games without a win. The task won’t be easy though as Jeju haven't beaten Seongnam in eight years.

Seongnam enter the game with eight points having played one less game than Jeju. After a shaky start which saw them draw their first two games and then lose 4-1 at Jeonbuk, they have recovered and taken maximum points from their last two games.

Despite injury problems in defence, Jeju know that with an on-form Oveira they have the ability to get goals and possibly cause an upset.

Previous meetings:
Jeju have a dismal record against Seongnam in the K-League – they have failed to win and only achieved two draws in the last 3 years:

23rd Aug 2008 – Seongnam Ilhwa 0-0 Jeju United
29th Mar 2008 – Jeju United 0-3 Seongnam Ilhwa
8th Aug 2007 – Seongnam Ilhwa 2-0 Jeju United
10th Mar 2007 – Jeju United 1-2 Seongnam Ilhwa
29th Oct 2006 – Seongnam Ilhwa 3-3 Jeju United
5th May 2006 – Jeju United 0-1 Seongnam Ilhwa

TEAM NEWS
Brazilian Ricardo's continued injury means Oveira is likely to start. With the current injury crisis in defence Jeju may well line up with the same back 4 that faced Gwangju on Wednesday night.

Keep an eye out for:
Brazilian Mota (11) has scored 31 goals in 71 appearances for Seongnam.
Australia born Saša Ognenovski (4) joined Seongam over the winter and has since been called up to the Macedonian national squad.
Goalkeeper Jung SungRyong (1) is a regular in the Korean national team.

Bet365.com Odds
Seongnam 8/13
Draw 5/2
Jeju 15/4

K-League Table:

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix	6	4	1	1	9	4	+5	13	AFC Champions League group stage and K-League Playoff
2	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	5	3	2	0	9	3	+6	11
3	FC Seoul	6	2	2	2	9	5	+4	8
4	Incheon United	5	2	2	1	4	2	+2	8	K-League Playoff
5	Gangwon FC	5	2	2	1	7	7	0	8
5	Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	5	2	2	1	7	7	0	8
7	Pohang Steelers	6	1	4	1	9	10	−1	7
8	Jeju United	6	2	1	3	4	5	−1	7
9	Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i	5	1	3	1	3	3	0	6
10	Daejeon Citizen	6	1	3	2	5	7	−2	6
11	Daegu FC	6	1	3	2	5	8	−3	6
12	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	6	1	2	3	4	5	−1	5
13	Busan I'Park	6	1	2	3	7	9	−2	5
14	Gyeongnam FC	6	0	5	1	5	7	−2	5
15	Chunnam Dragons	5	0	4	1	8	13	−5	4

Jeju Romp to 300th Victory

Jeju United 4-1 Gwangju Sangmu

Highlights video: www.jeju-utd.com (Internet Explorer only)

A tiny crowd of 773 saw Jeju finally secure their 300th ever win by thrashing Gwangju 4-1 in the Peace Cup. Whilst both sides rested key players due to busy K-League schedules, Jeju were by far the superior side and now have qualification for the Peace Cup quarter finals within their grasp.

The goal spree started on 30 minutes when Oveira played Choi Hyeon Yeon through on goal. The striker finished with a superb lob from 20 yards which gave Lee Jung Rae in the Gwangju goal no chance.

Gwangju had the bulk of possession for the rest of the half but were unable to achieve more than the occasional long distance shot and speculative cross in to the box.

Jeju strengthened their lead just 4 minutes in to the second half when Oh Bong Jin scored with a superb Beckham-esque freekick from 25 yards which went in off the post.

At this point Jeju relaxed and let Gwangju in to the game. Gwangju were helped in no small part by a lack of communication in the home side's defence - at several points Gwangju attackers were left completely unmarked in wide areas. After wasting several chances Gwangju finally converted one on 73 minutes when Kim Tae Min headed home a Choi Jae Soo freekick. It was a good finish from the ex-Jeju midfielder although questions should be asked of Chun Jae Woon's marking.

The goal sparked Jeju back in to life and on 81 minutes Oveira sealed the victory with an excellent finish to a through ball from Choi Hyeon Yeon. Just two minutes later the Brazilian added a fourth by converting a low Kim Myung Hwan cross from 12 yards.

After the final whistle the players and fans celebrated Jeju United's 300th ever win. Whilst there were problems in defence, Jeju can take positives in the good understanding Oveira and Choi Hyeon Yeon had upfront, as well as the fact they finally created and converted several goalscoring chances.

United now find themselves in second place in group B and have a good chance of making the Peace Cup quarter finals. Four points from a trip to Gyeongnam on May 5th and a home game against Jeonbuk on the 27th will clinch it.

Next up for Jeju is a difficult trip to Seongnam on Sunday in the K-League followed by the visit of Jeonbuk to Jeju City on 2nd May.

Peace Cup Table:
Group A
Seongnam 5pts (+2)
Incheon 5pts (+1)
--------------
Chunnam 4pts
Daegu 4pts
Gangwon 3pts
Daejeon 3pts (-3)

Group B
Busan 5pts (+2)
Jeju 4pts (+3)
--------------
Jeonbuk 4pts (+2)
Gyeongnam 1pt (-2)
Gwangju 1pt (-5)

Jeju United V Gwangju Sangmu Preview

Jeju United Vs Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix - 7pm, Wednesday, 22nd April 2009 (Jeju World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo)

The Hauzen Cup was this year re-named the "Peace Cup".

In the first round the 11 non-Champions League sides have been divided in to 2 groups. Each team plays eachother once. The top 2 from each group will go on to the quarter finals where the rest of the K-League sides will join the tournament.

Group A is made of teams that finished in odd positions last season. Finishing 10th last year, Jeju find themselves in Group B with the other even position finishing teams.

Jeju drew their first game 1-1 at Busan. Current league standings are:

Team Name Played Points
Jeonbuk 2 4
Busan 2 2
Gyeongnam 1 1
Jeju 1 1
Gwangju 2 1

Busan will be facing Gyeongnam in the other match that night.

In this match United are facing Gwangju who they beat earlier in the season 1-0. Despite finishing in the bottom 2 most seasons, the army team has had a very strong start to the season and find themselves top of the K-League with 13 points from their opening 6 games.
Things haven't been going so well in the Peace Cup though - Gwangju have only managed 1 point from 2 games.

Jeju have a great chance of qualifying from this group so lets cheer them on!

A Jeju victory would be the 300th in the club's history.

History is on Jeju's side as Gwangju are yet to win in Seogwipo:

15th March 2009 Jeju United 1 - 0 Gwangju Sangmu
26th October 2008 Gwangju Sangmu 1-0 Jeju United
May 24 2008 Jeju United 3-1 Gwangju Sangmu
August 28 2007 Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix 0-2 Jeju United FC
April 21 2007 Jeju United FC 1-1 Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix
October 21 2006 Jeju United 1-0 Gwangju Sangmu
April 22nd 2006 Gwangju Sangmu 2-0 Jeju United

The clubs have faced each other once in the Hauzen Cup where Jeju managed a 1-0 in Seogwipo on May 14th 2006 when defender Lee Sang Ho grabbed the winner.

TEAM NEWS
The crisis in defence continues as Kang Min Su, Kang Joon Woo and Yun Won Il are all unlikely to start. Ricardo and Bang Seung Hwan are also unlikely to make an appearance as Shim Young Song and Oveira continue their partnership up front.

Keep an eye out for:
Choi Sung-Kuk (10) who has scored 3 goals since joining from Seongnam. Kim Myung-Joong (7) is also on 3.
Midfielders Park Jin Ok (23) and Kim Tae Min (24) left Jeju over the winter to do their military service at Gwangju and may make an appearance.

Bet365.com Odds
Jeju 7/5
Draw 21/10
Gwangju 7/4

Transportation
Free bus schedule is here:
http://www.jeju-utd.com/html/ticket_info.asp?tab_index=03

• From the airport take the Airport Limousine Bus bound for Seogwipo (5,000 won). Get off at E-Mart in Shin-Seogwipo (60 minutes). Stadium is behind E-Mart.
• If you are staying in Jeju City take the Seogwipo bound bus at either Jeju Bus Terminal or outside Halla Hospital in Shin-Jeju (3,000 won).
• Taxi from Jeju City to Seogwipo is typically 25,000 won and takes 45 minutes. Ask for Jeju World Cup Gyeong Gi Chang (제주월드컵경기장)

Battling Jeju denied by Ulsan

Jeju United 0-1 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

Jeju United’s injury depleted squad failed to cause an upset on Saturday afternoon as they went down 1-0 to Ulsan at a sun soaked Jeju Athletics Stadium.

It was a beautiful day for the first match of 2009 to have been played in Jeju City and a crowd of almost 4,000 turned up hoping to see United record their 300th ever win.

With a whole host of injuries, including those to influential players Kang Min Su and Kang Joon Woo, it was always going to be a difficult task, however Jeju can take pride in a spirited performance.

It was a pulsating first half which saw both sides throw caution to the wind as they attempted to break the deadlock. Ulsan sent cross after cross in to Jeju’s area hoping to take advantage of the makeshift defence, whilst Jeju relied largely on the attacking threat of new Brazilian signing Oveira.

Oveira should have scored half way through the first period when he shot over from 12 yards with just the goalkeeper to beat. Just moments later he was again in the heat of the action, being denied what appeared to be a clear penalty when he was brought down in the six yard box.

It was Ulsan who eventually broke the deadlock on 44 minutes when Almir tapped home a poorly defended cross from Oh Jang-Eun. Having played so well through the first half it was a devastating blow for Jeju right on half time.

With an important Asian Champions League match in Beijing on Wednesday to concentrate on, Ulsan spent much of the second half with ten men behind the ball, giving Jeju the lion’s share of possession.

Despite dominating the half, Jeju were unable to create any real chances and became increasingly frustrated by their inability to break through Ulsan’s resolute defence. Oveira again was the main threat, having a speculative 30 yard shot hit the crossbar, and again with just 10 minutes remaining having a goal disallowed for offside.

Coach Arther Bernardes will be concerned by his side’s inability to convert possession in to goal scoring chances but should take heart from a battling display against one of Korea’s top sides.

Jeju’s next chance to gain their 300th victory will take place in Seogwipo on Wednesday night when they entertain Gwangju Sangmu in the Peace Cup. Next up in the K-League is a difficult trip to Seongnam next Sunday.

Jeju United Vs Ulsan Preview

Jeju United Vs Ulsan - 3pm, Saturday, 18th April 2009 (Jeju Athletics Stadium)


It's been an unpredictable start to the K-League season and hopefully this will continue as Jeju entertain one of the K-League's top sides - Ulsan.

Like most of the Korean sides playing in the Asian Champions League Ulsan have struggled in the K-League so far this season. They are yet to win having so far achieved 3 draws and a defeat.

Whilst Ulsan would generally be strong favourites against Jeju, they have a huge match in Beijing just 4 days later which may well distract them this weekend.

Jeju were unlucky to lose 2-1 at Daegu last weekend. The injuries of several key defenders alongside poor finishing cost them as they failed to convert a host of chances. Jeju will also need to improve their defence of corners and freekicks - Busan, Gyeongnam and now Daegu have all capitalised on this weakness against them this season.

Jeju have had a good start to the season though and should be confident knowing that they can go as high as 2nd with a win on Saturday.

A win for Jeju would be the 300th in the club's history.

TEAM NEWS: Its a crisis in defence as 4 defenders are doubtful for the Ulsan game. Influential players Kang Min Su and Kang Joon Woo are probably out due to cheekbone and ankle injuries respectively whilst Yoon Won-Il and Cho Young Hyung are also unlikely to feature.

Keep an eye out for:
Popular striker from last season Cho Jin Soo (number 22) left Jeju to join Ulsan over the winter and may make an appearance.
Brazilian Luizinho (number 10) has averaged almost a goal every 2 games since coming to Korea in 2007.
Slavčo Georgievski (number 6) joined Ulsan this winter and has played for the Macedonian national side. He made an appearance in Macedonia's 1-0 victory over Scotland in August 2008.

Previous meetings:
September 28 2008: Jeju United 0-1 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
May 5 2008: Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 2-1 Jeju United
September 15 2007: Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 2-2 Jeju United FC
May 5 2007: Jeju United FC 2-1 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
October 14 2006: Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 2-2 Jeju United FC
April 16 2006: Jeju United FC 3-0 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

Bet365.com odds
Jeju 9/5
Draw 21/10
Ulsan 7/5

Transportation:
• From the airport take the number 100 bus and get off at the Suburban Bus Terminal (1,000 won, 10 minutes). Stadium is behind the bus terminal. Taxi fare is around 3,000 won, ask for Jeju Chong Hap Un Dong Chang (제주종합운동장).
• From Seogwipo catch a bus bound for Jeju City at Seogwipo bus terminal (3,000 won, 60 minutes). Bus terminates at the bus terminal, 2 minutes walk from the stadium.