The Ulsan Hyundai Tigers are on a roll, but can their momentum carry over to the FA Cup, where they will face Jeonnam in the first leg.
The Ulsan Hyundai Tigers will host the Jeonnam Dragons in the fourth round (round of 16) of the 2023 Hana OneQ FA CUP at Gwangyang Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on April 24.
This season, Ulsan leads the K League 1 with 12 wins, one draw and one loss, and 37 points. They have scored a total of 29 goals and conceded just 13, boasting a stable defense. On March 21, Ulsan won a close 3-2 victory against Suwon Samsung. It was the first time in four games that Ulsan broke the Suwon away jinx since Hong Myung-bo took over as head coach.
Along with the sixth consecutive league victory, the day was also fruitful. Swedish Oxygen Tank Rubiksson volleyed in Seol Young-woo’s cross to open the scoring for the first time in 35 days since April 16 against Daejeon Hanati.
National team shield Kim Young-kwon, who has started all 14 K League One matches this season, scored his debut goal with a left-footed, unassisted mid-range shot. It was his second goal in his second season in an Ulsan jersey and his first in 50 league games.
Hungarian monster striker Martin 스포츠토토 Adam scored for the second straight game against FC Seoul. In the 40th minute, he calmly finished a penalty kick from Seol Young-woo with his left foot to extend his team’s winning streak.
Now, with all the jinxes out of the way, Ulsan will face Jeonnam with the team’s energy and mood at an all-time high. Currently, Ulsan is playing a tight schedule that includes a midweek and a weekend. For this match, the team plans to use players who normally don’t get much playing time, such as Boyanic, Esaka Ataru, and Yoon Il-Rok, to boost their performance and confidence.
Ulsan lifted the FA Cup trophy for the first time in its history in 2017. Under Hong Myung-bo, they have reached the quarterfinals for two consecutive seasons. In 2021, they faced Jeonnam in the quarterfinals and lost 1-2. Last year, they lost to Jeonbuk Hyundai 1-0 in extra time.
Ulsan, which is returning to the FA Cup after a six-year absence, is ready to avenge the pain of losing to Jeonnam at home two years ago. It will be interesting to see if Ulsan, one of the favorites to make the treble this season, can carry their momentum from the league to the FA Cup.