Injuries plague Incheon as club clings on in FA Cup and Champions League

Incheon United’s Harrison Delbrige and Sin Jin-ho will both be out with injuries for the remainder of the 2023 season, leaving the club in a difficult position as it continues to compete in the K League, the Korean FA Cup and the AFC Champions League

Incheon United’s Harrison Delbrige, second from right, vies for the ball with the Suwon Samsung Bluewings' Yu Je-ho during a Korean FA Cup match held at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon on June 28. [NEWS1]

Incheon United’s Harrison Delbrige and Sin Jin-ho will both be out with injuries for the remainder of the 2023 season, leaving the club in a difficult position as it continues to compete in the K League, the Korean FA Cup and the AFC Champions League.

Incheon announced through their official Instagram account Monday that both players will miss the remaining matches of the season and fans said in the comments that they are worried the club could seriously struggle without the two.

Defender Delbrige and midfielder Sin have both been key players this season, allowing the team to remain in fifth place on the 12-team K League table as of Tuesday and reach the FA Cup semifinals.

Delbrige, who has both pace and solid tackling in his arsenal, has played 25 league games this season. With him in defense, Incheon have conceded 38 goals in the league — about four less than the league average.

Sin, on the other hand, is a creative midfielder who makes effective passes and has a high assist rate. His absence as a playmaker is likely to have a significant impact on the team.

To make the matter worse for Incheon, another veteran midfielder Lee Myung-joo is also unavailable to play due to injury from the match against the Pohang Steelers on Friday.

The club said in the announcement that Lee will focus on rehabilitation to return to the pitch, but whether he will be fit to play any time soon is unclear, as the team has yet to reveal the extent of his injury.

The three players’ injury reports came at a time when Incheon are chasing club history.

Incheon not only have a chance of lifting their first-ever FA Cup trophy this season, but are also in the Champions League for the first time in history.

The club has already secured two wins in the group stage of the tournament and may even reach the round of 16.

Incheon will next face Shandong Taishan FC from China in Group G at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

They will be back in K League action as they play third-place Gwangju FC in Gwangju on Saturday. Four league fixtures remain for Incheon.

Just a few days later, Incheon will face defending champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the FA Cup semifinals on Nov. 1.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]