Hwang Sun-hong, Daejeon Hana Citizen Head Coach Ahead of Match Against Seoul: "We Must Break Our Home Winless Streak and Create a Framework for a Turnaround" [Daejeon On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Hwang Sun-hong, head coach of Daejeon Hana Citizen in K League 1, said there is no way to overcome their prolonged home winless streak (three draws and four losses) other than with determination.

Ahead of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026 Round 15 home match against FC Seoul at Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on the 16th, Coach Hwang told reporters, "If a jinx sets in, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to break it," and added this remark.

Daejeon, once considered a title contender before the season began, currently sits in ninth place with four wins, four draws, and six losses (16 points). Notably, they have failed to secure a home victory in their last seven home matches since the season opener.

Coach Hwang stated, "We should not have allowed this situation to develop, but football is unpredictable, and it seems we are being pushed further back. To break this jinx, it will require double the effort, but ultimately, we must trust our players."

Coach Hwang continued, "Since we have no home wins, the desire to win is even stronger. We must break this streak quickly and create a framework for a turnaround with a lighter burden. I believe the players will do their best, and we must proceed with determination."

Regarding the upcoming match against Seoul, Coach Hwang said, "The focus will be on how well our midfielders control the game. Given the hot weather, maintaining possession of the ball will be crucial. I believe this will be the key to the match."

He added, "The biggest challenge is failing to score despite dominating the game. When we are under psychological pressure, we tend to concede goals from unusual set pieces in the final moments. In reality, few matches are won by completely suppressing the opponent and scoring multiple goals. What was disappointing was our lack of focus and failure to finish chances, as well as conceding goals in situations that should not have led to goals. These aspects need improvement."

After ending a three-match winless streak (one draw and two losses) with a victory over Gwangju FC, FC Seoul head coach Kim Ki-dong said, "Of course, there were shortcomings during those three matches, but I believe there were no issues with the plan we prepared. There were instances where individual mistakes, such as momentary lapses in judgment, led to goals. I emphasized to the players that they must never doubt our approach."

Coach Kim added, "I believe we are performing well, and if we continue as we are, we can consistently achieve good results. The players agreed with this assessment. I feel that we are building a winning mentality by accumulating wins in the first half. While it may not be 100% yet, we have improved continuously and are much better than last year. We must keep working hard to fill in the remaining gaps."

Regarding the omission of Klemar from the lineup, he explained, "With six foreign players on the roster, we had to leave one out. Yazan is returning from a suspension, so we had to decide who to exclude. Huize has scored in two consecutive matches, so we could not leave him out. That is why we had no choice but to exclude Klemar."

He continued, "Klemar is a player with very high self-esteem. Being excluded from the lineup has hurt his pride. Even though he understands he must compete, he is deeply affected by being left out. In a way, this could serve as a stimulus, and I believe he will work even harder when he returns."

For today's match, Daejeon will field Yu Kang-hyun leading the attack, with Rubiksson, Seo Jin-soo, and Joao Victor in the second line. Lee Hyun-sik and Kim Bong-soo will operate in midfield, while Park Gyu-hyun, Anton, Cho Sung-kwon, and Kim Moon-hwan will form the defensive line. Lee Chang-geun will be in goal. Seoul will deploy Huize and Anderson as the striking duo, with Song Min-gyu, Baeves, Son Jung-beom, and Moon Sun-min in midfield. Kim Jin-soo, Ross, Yazan, and Choi Jun will form the defensive line, while Gu Seong-yun will guard the goal.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.