We want to turn things around so that we can continue our upward trend in the ACL.”
Ulsan Hyundai head coach Hong Myung-bo vowed to turn around the club’s recent poor form in a pre-match press conference a day ahead of their 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) Group I first leg against Pathum United (Thailand) at the Ulsan Munsoo Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on May 19.
Ulsan has not been performing well lately. They have only one win (3 draws and 2 losses) in six K League 1 matches. In particular, they have not won in three consecutive games. The team was the overwhelming favorite at the midway point of the season, but they are now in a situation where they are not guaranteed to win the title. The team is looking forward to the first match of the ACL group stage.
“We have our first ACL game tomorrow,” said Hong. “Our opponent is a very good team. We met them two years ago, and some of the players are still with us.” “We are in the middle of the season. “We are in the middle of the season and we will try to continue the good trend not only in the ACL but also in the K League.
Ulsan won both games against Pathum two years ago. “The game two years ago was away, and we still have some players who played against each other back then. I think we’re a better team now because we have good players,” he said. “Now the competition is home and away. In that sense, we will definitely win the first leg at home.”
“We played them two years ago, but I think they are a good team. We analyzed them well by watching their pool matches,” he said, adding, “We will do our best to get the result we want in tomorrow’s match.” He emphasized the need to win once again.먹튀검증
When asked if he thought the recent poor trend in the K League would affect the ACL, Hong said, “We are in a slump, but through the ACL, we will change the atmosphere so that we can go upward in the remaining games of the K League. We will definitely win tomorrow’s game and the games against Suwon FC and Pohang Steelers to keep the momentum going.”
In conclusion, Hong said, “In my first year, we finished in the top four, and last year we finished in the qualifiers. We had a clear goal last year, so we didn’t mind the ACL result. Of course, the season is coming to an end, and the ACL is a new start.” “Next, the ACL is an important game because it is the first game to start the next season. It’s important that we calculate this well and pass the qualifiers that we have until this year. As a coach, it is a good and honorable thing to compete in the ACL, so I will try to do my best to achieve good results,” he said, promising victory.