Jeonbuk vs. Daejeon Preview: Purples need to treat every game like survival is on the line | OneFootball

Final B begins in the same way that the 2024 Hana Bank K League 1 season began for Daejeon Hana Citizen, an away trip to Jeonju to take on Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Survival can't be sealed on Saturday, but Daejeon need to treat every game like survival is on the line.

Five cup finals but with no trophy to show for it at the end. Just the relief of knowing that it isn't a quick return to K League 2. Daejeon Hana Citizen need to head into each of their last five games with the mindset that survival can be sealed or lost based on what will happen over the next 90 minutes.

In truth, that sort of mentality has already been spoken about by goalkeeper Lee Chang-geun. His impressive and extremely committed displays between the sticks for the Purples are proof of that, producing incredible saves to keep Daejeon competitive. He's worn the captain's armband a lot this season and is a senior member of the dressing room. He has a warmness to him but doesn't accept poor standards and is someone who the other players do not want to disappoint. He's not someone you'd call a big talker but with Lee Chang-geun it's quality over quantity; when he talks the players listen. He nags them a bit, but it's to make sure everyone is on the same wavelength.

In a mixed zone interview withMK Sports after the 2-0 win over Gwangju FC in Round 29, Lee said: "I go into a game with the mindset that there is no next game, always that today's game is the last... "To me, today's game decides K League 1 survival."

Lee also talked about how this mindset can be seen as an "opportunity," which is sort of profound in a way. If the players look at it from that perspective, they might be able to play with a level of freedom and confidence, which seemed to have evaded them in their last two games. Lee missed the last game, a 2-1 away loss to Jeju United, and his absence was felt. Lee Jun-seo is his understudy, a talented 'keeper but one who has been starved of first-team experience over the last couple of seasons, playing just 22 senior matches, and only three of those have been in K League 1 despite being 26. He performed well enough against Jeju, but it was his error that led to the islanders' equalising, rushing out and getting caught in no-man's land to allow Yuri Jonathan to roll the ball into an empty net. It was a rush of blood to the head in first-half stoppage time. If Daejeon see the half out and go in at the interval level then it might have been a different outcome. It's perhaps harsh to make comparisons, but Lee Chang-geun wouldn't have made that same mistake, and it's the sort of error that a player lacking experience and match sharpness makes. The error simply made it even clearer just how important Lee Chang-geun is to Daejeon.

He'll be key for Daejeon when he does eventually return, but other influential characters in the dressing room have had their say too.Kim Jun-beom, for example, spoke post-Jeju about how he needs the international break to go away and get a grip, to wake up a bit. He'd been in good form but had looked a bit lost against Ulsan and Jeju.

Experienced full backOh Jae-suk, who is one of the oldest in the team at 34, and is hugely influential in the dressing room, had some frank words for his teammates post-Jeju, saying:

"We can't be saying we still have time. We don't have time. We really need to work like crazy during the (international) break. For the next five games, it's life or death. We have to survive."

He also reminded them of that fight the players had in them against Gwangju (2-0 home win) and FC Seoul (3-2 away win), and to try and rediscover it.

Other players had looked a bit too comfortable. Manager Hwang Sun-hong had, seemingly, settled on a central midfield two of Bobsin and Lee Soon-min. Both had worked their socks off and made telling contributions but there was a distinct drop in intensity in the last two games.

Lee Soon-min, also speaking in the dressing room post-Jeju, said: "There are five games left but don't think of it as five games. [Don't think of it as] 'Of the five games left, you know, we'll win two or three,' because if the first two games don't go well, the third, fourth, and fifth will come with a lot more pressure and will be more difficult. Are we going to keep going like this in this situation, or are we going to turn things around in the first two games (of the split) and use that momentum?"

Part of the problem could be the sheer size of Daejeon's squad and the amount of rotation Hwang Sun-hong does. Aside from the middle two, most other positions seemed to be decided using a bingo machine. The likes of Kelvin, Cheon Seong-hoon, club captain Ju Se-jong, and summer recruits Park Jeong-in and Kim Hyeon-ug among others have even turned out for the club's B team in K4.

Having such a big squad has been a bit of a gift and a curse. Initially, it was an asset because if a player's levels dropped, another was there to come in straight away and were keen to keep their place once they'd been given an opportunity. But after a couple of months, this ruthlessness seemed to breed doubt amongst the players and affect morale a bit.

Referring decisions have gone against Daejeon in the build-up to the split. Luckily for them, they didn't affect the results too much but made earning wins and draws a bit harder. Against FC Seoul in Round 30, for instance, Stanislav Iljutencko probably should've been sent off for lashing out at Bobsin, and the referee gave an indirect free-kick for a passback that wasn't. The ball was cleared, albeit heading backwards but out for a throw-in, before coming off a Seoul player. Baffling decision but Seoul didn't make the most of the free-kick. Then there's Vladislavs Gutkovskis' red card against Jeonbuk which still has the fans riled up. The players, and fans too for that matter, can use these kinds of things to spur them on, as a sort of siege mentality. 'We're not going to get any favours from the referees, so we have to do this ourselves.'

First up for Daejeon post-split is Jeonbuk away on Saturday at 2 PM KST. It's a very tough game to start Final B with, but on the bright side, it might be good to get it out of the way. Jeonbuk were one of the form teams in the division before the late loss to Daegu in Round 33 and the Green Warriors looked up for the fight, and were more in control of the game when they visited Purple Arena in Round 31.

Daejeon simply have to do whatever it takes to get something from this game, and their record against Jeonbuk has been quite good so they'll fancy themselves. It seems like a lifetime ago now but Daejeon were the must better team for most of the first meeting this season, and came back from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw in the second. It could be argued, though, that Jeonbuk are due a win over Daejeon, having failed to do so since the Purples returned to K League 1 last year. A resolute performance and a positive result will do Daejeon the world of good heading into their first home game of Final B, Daegu in Round 35.