Weekend Picks

K-League Classic

Daejeon Citizen at Pohang Steelers

2 p.m. Saturday, Pohang Steel Yard

League-worst Daejeon, which collected only one victory in its last 11 matches, saw coach Cho Jin-ho resign last week over the team’s poor performance. Citizen hired former Korean Olympic football chief assistant coach Choi Moon-sik as its new head on Thursday in an attempt to escape the bottom.

Choi, 44, will make his Daejeon debut against his former team, the Pohang Steelers. He played for the team for nearly 10 years and served as the youth and reserve team coach.

But turning the tide will not be easy. Pohang has not lost to Daejeon in their last 10 matches, collecting seven wins and three draws since May 2010, and it holds the all time head-to-head record with 25 wins, 17 draws and eight losses.

Things for Daejeon are looking even worse, as the team’s No.1 scorer Adriano and midfielder Kim Ki-su cannot play in this match because each has received three yellow cards during the season.

Pohang, which sits fourth in league with four wins, four draws and four losses, needs a victory at home as it failed to do so in its last five matches, collecting four draws and one loss.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Seongnam FC

2 p.m. Sunday, Tancheon Sports Complex Stadium

Player recovery will be key for Jeonbuk and Seongnam, as both teams have played AFC Champions League Round of 16 matches in the past two weeks. Defending Jeonbuk became the sole Korean team to advance to the AFC Champions League quarter finals. Seongnam, FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung Bluewings all were eliminated.

In the league, Seongnam has not lost its last eight matches, collecting three wins and five draws, but that does not mean the home team can breath easily - it lost to Jeonbuk in their last four encounters.

Jeonbuk has allowed eight goals this season, with seven coming from away matches. But the team’s forte is offense, having scored 19 goals in 12 matches.

Brazilian duo Edu, who is the league’s top scorer with seven goals, and Leonardo, who has netted six goals, will lead the team’s attack.

KLPGA Tour

E1 Charity Open

Friday-Sunday, Pheonix Springs Country Club, Icheon, Gyeonggi

This is the largest KLPGA Tour event, with 144 golfers competing to claim a 120 million won ($108,550) purse.

Among them, Chun In-gee is rising as the favorite after winning the Doosan Match Play Championship last weekend, beating rookie Ji Han-sol. The 21-year-old now has two wins in the KLPGA Tour after taking the Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup in Japan earlier this month.

For the first round, Chun is paired with defending champion Heo Yoon-kyung and Kim Bo-kyung, who won the Lotte Mart Women’s Open last month and is currently third in prize money rankings.

Meanwhile, familiar faces will make their first KLPGA Tour appearance this year.

Kim Ha-neul, the two-time tour prize money winner, is making her first appearance this tour. The eight-time overall tour winner has been playing in Japan this year.

Ahn Shin-ae is also coming out for the first time in this season. The 24-year-old has not played a single event this season after falling from a cart and hurting her right knee during a promotional photo shoot for the tour in March. She has not won a tour event since 2010, when she won two.

However, Ko Jin-young, who also has won two events in the KLPGA Tour this season and is currently second in prize money, is not competing this weekend because of an eye inflammation.

BY JOO KYUNG-DON [joo.kyungdon@joongang.co.kr]