FA Cup Preview: Jeju United vs Daejeon Hana Citizen - A Place in the Quarter-Finals awaits!

Both teams are in impressive form this season, proving many doubters wrong thus far. For Jeju, after losing Joo Min-kyu in pre-season, many doubted they would be challenging for ACL football, and after 5 matches with no wins, it seemed they were right. However, their recent form has been the best in the K League as they accumulated 12 points from a possible 15.

As for Daejeon, I, as well as many others, predicted them to be closer to a relegation battle, not in an early ACL battle. 

History of Jeju United Hosting Daejeon:

The last time Daejeon made the journey to Seogwipo was back in 2020, in Round 19 of K League 2. In that season, Jeju finished as champions in Nam Ki-il's first full season in charge, and Daejeon came 4th, eventually missing out on promotion.

In the last five meetings between these teams, in which Jeju have hosted, the results have been split, with Jeju winning three and Daejeon winning the other two.

2020/09/13: Jeju United 2-0 Daejeon

2020/05/23: Jeju United 2-3 Daejeon

2015/03/21: Jeju United 5-0 Daejeon

2013/10/20: Jeju Untied 0-1 Daejeon

2013/09/01: Jeju United 2-1 Daejeon

As seen by the recent pairings of these teams, a home win for Jeju seems like the most likely outcome, but so far in the league this year, it has been Jeju's home form which is preventing them from being higher in the league standings.

All-Time Head-to-Head (All Comps):

Jeju United Wins - 13

Draws - 6

Daejeon Wins - 7

Of all time, Jeju are by far the strongest side. That was shown again in the last meeting between these two, as Jeju humiliated Daejeon in their own stadium, with a resounding 3-0 away win for the Tangerines. It was a great day for the Jeju defence, as they not only kept a clean sheet, but all of the back three ended up with goal involvements. Jeong Woon and Kim Oh-kyu scored, with Kim Joo-won grabbing an assist. Kim Bong-soo picked up the third in the 79th minute after former Daejeon man, Kim Seung-sub, had a goal disallowed just before the half-time break. 

The History of The FA Cup

The competition has seen multiple rebrands over the years, before becoming the well-known "FA Cup" in 1996.

Since the dawn of the new millennium, Jeju and Daejeon have had very limited success in this competition. Jeju United's highest-recorded finish was runner-up in 2004 after defeat to Busan IPark. However, Jeju United and Busan IPark were not then known as such. Back in '04, Jeju United were called 'Bucheon SK' and have only been known as Jeju United since 2006. During this period, Busan IPark was formerly regarded to as 'Busan I'Cons' before rebranding to Busan I'Park and subsequently, Busan IPark in 2005 and 2012 respectively.

For Daejeon Hana Citizen, in their history, they managed to go one step further than their Round of 16 opposition. Daejeon won the competition in 2001, beating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on penalties in the Semi-Finals, and Pohang Steelers 1-0 in the final.

What to Look Out For in Jeju United

Nam Ki-il's side are in full flow now, racking up an impressive 8 wins from their previous 10 games in all competitions (8W, 1D, 1L). A possession-dominant side who prefer to control the tempo, but also have a bit of an unpredictable side to them, as we saw in their win at home to Pohang. Despite being the weaker side, they were resilient and dug in to get the eventual win, something Nam Ki-il has been very public with his praise about. Whereas in their victory against Ulsan, once again they slightly rode their luck, but Kim Dong-jun in his current form, is arguably the best keeper the league has to offer.

What to Look Out For in Daejeon Hana Citizen

Daejeon's typical base tactic is a 3-5-2 with overlapping wingbacks to support the central forwards up top. In their recent K League defeat, Daejeon ended with a total of 71% possession and 16 shots, compared to Daegu's 29% possession and 8 shots, so will be heading into this fixture feeling robbed of any points due to the domination on display. This could either benefit or hinder Daejeon; if it is used as motivation to be more clinical then Jeju will be in for a very tough match, however, if it puts doubt in the minds of the players, Jeju may see a result similar to the 3-0 win back in Round 10.

Who to Watch for Jeju United

Following Suwon FC's demolition, a favourite of mine, Seo Jin-su, will certainly be in high spirits following his three-goal contribution (two goals, one assist). He was my player to watch in pre-season, and he has not proven me wrong, racking up an impressive four goals for Jeju this season, making him their joint top goalscorer, with Reis and Yuri. He possesses a lot of strength and speed, making allowing him to ruthlessly punish opposition defenders, more often than not, leading to a goalscoring opportunity.

Who to Watch for Daejeon Hana Citizen

Lee Jin-hyun is Daejeon's go-to man, accumulating a total of six assists so far this league campaign, which is the highest tally by any player - Pohang's Zeca is next in line with four assists. Tiago Orobo is Daejeon's top scorer with four goals, but his last goal was in Round 6, with a brace despite a 5-3 defeat away to Suwon FC. He will be hoping for a resurgence of goal-scoring form to boost his overall season record.

Where to Watch

This match will be available to watch on Coupang Play and also on the KFATV_LIVE YouTube Channel!

This article was written by Charlie Beasley.