The final in Korea's first-division football this year will pit the league's biggest offensive juggernaut against the little engine that could.
The regular season champion Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will take on Ulsan Hyundai FC in the two-game championship series for the K-League. The first leg is this Wednesday at 6:10 p.m. in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The second leg will be at Jeonbuk's home of Jeonju, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The aggregate score after the two games will determine the K-League champion.
Jeonbuk finished first in the regular season with 18 wins, three losses and nine draws. The Motors scored 67 goals in those 30 games, the most among 16 K-League clubs. They're seeking their second championship after winning their first in 2009.
Ulsan clinched their playoff berth as the sixth and last seed on the final day of the season. It put up 13 wins, 10 losses and seven ties, and scored only 33 goals in all, tying for fourth fewest in the league. Ulsan is after its third K-League title, and first since 2005.
Jeonbuk is a deep team with All-Star-caliber players at different positions and was seen as a title contender even before the season.
Ulsan, a gritty squad that captured the K-League Cup in July, was only seen as a borderline playoff club in preseason.
Ulsan did have K-League's stingiest defense, giving up only 29 goals. But Jeonbuk head coach Choi Kang-hee said he believes his team's offense will prevail in the final.
"Even good defensive teams give up goals," Choi said at a press conference. "We haven't been as good when we became too defensive, so we're going to come out attacking. We're confident against any club."
Kim Ho-gon, Ulsan's head coach, said his players will try to remain patient against Jeonbuk.
"We will look to keep Jeonbuk at bay and capitalize on our chances when they come," Kim said. "In football, you never know when the opportunities may open up."
Both clubs come in on hot streaks. Ulsan is unbeaten since August, a stretch of 11 contests, and Jeonbuk hasn't lost in its last 15, dating back to July.
But Jeonbuk hasn't seen much action lately to sustain the momentum.
Under the quirky playoff setting, Jeonbuk, by virtue of finishing first in regular season, had the bye to the final. Their last competitive game wasn't even a K-League match. On Nov. 5, they lost to Al Sadd of Qatar in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
Choi said his team is injury-free and players have been training hard.
"I know Ulsan is enjoying a great streak but we're really determined to win the championship," he said. "Both teams already know each other too well. The key for us is to return to our game shape. I will prepare our players physically and mentally for the final."
Ulsan, in contrast, had to beat three teams -- No. 4 Suwon Samsung Bluewings, No. 3 FC Seoul and No. 2 Pohang Steelers -- just to reach the championship round. Ulsan played these matches over eight days, and the game against Suwon went to a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of regulation and extra time.
Kim said the positive momentum will help players get over their fatigue.
"Our guys are tired after playing three matches over a short period of time but they're really excited to be in the final," he said.
The teams split their three meetings this year. During the season, Jeonbuk won the first match 1-0 in May, and Ulsan beat Jeonbuk 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the K-League Cup. They played to a scoreless draw in a regular season match in July.
Ulsan ranked third in the K-League this year with an average of 12,597 fans per home game. Munsu Football Stadium holds 44,102 people, according to its Web site. (Yonhap)