All four Korean football clubs are on their way to securing a spot for the final 16 of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.

Jeonbuk Hyundai, Seongnam Ilhwa, Ulsan Hyundai and the Pohang Steelers all have a chance to enter the knockout round of Asia’s top professional league. With just one match to go in the group stage, slated for May 15-16, the four K-League representatives have better chances than most other teams from East Asia.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors sit at the top of Group H with a two point lead over Guangzhou Evergrande, after redeeming themselves from an embarrassing home defeat against the Chinese club. The 2011 AFC runner-ups and K-League champions, Jeonbuk will now face Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol in the comfort of their own home at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium on May 15.

But Jeonbuk cannot afford to get too comfortable as a loss against Kashiwa and a win by Guangzhou could send the Korean club home at the group stage. All three teams are league champions back home.

If Jeonbuk advances to the knockout stage, they could face FC Tokyo or Ulsan Hyundai.

In Group F Ulsan Hyundai FC has already won a ticket for the next stage, but is now gunning against FC Tokyo to gain the home-field advantage.

Going into the last match, the undefeated teams rival in points, but the Japanese club leads by a goal difference of four against the 2006 semifinalists. Ulsan will need to make full use of their home-field advantage at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on May 16, to ensure that they play at home in the knock out stage.

Ulsan might also count on their veteran AFC Champions League experience against the first timer FC Tokyo.

Although Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma has recorded just one win and four draws, the 2010 champions will only need another draw to advance to the next round. The seven-time K-League winner will have to face Tianjin Teda in China on May 15, for Group G’s final match. The largely uneventful group has seen more draws than any other group.

Currently top seed in the group, Seongnam is tied for points with Nagoya Grampus, but is leading in goal differentials by two. And with Australia’s Central Coast Mariners behind with one point, the Korean club will need either a draw or a win against the Chinese. Seongnam tied with Tianjin when they faced off on March 21.

The stragglers of the Korean clubs, the Pohang Steelers, may be able to pull off a spot in the next round if they can hold off Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor on May 16 to advance past Group E.

A win against Gamba Osaka on Wednesday had put the 2009 AFC champions in second with one point behind the group’s top seed Adelaide United.

However, Pohang will have their work cut out in Uzbekistan as the last time they went head-to-head with Bunyodkor, they suffered a 2-0 home defeat.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)