Gwangju vs Jeonnam Preview

Photo via dragons.co.kr/

Jeonnam hits the short road to Gwangju in an attempt to make it three on the trot in the definition of a trap game.

There are trap games, and then there's this. Riding extremely high after beating Jeollanam-do rival and league leader Jeonbuk last weekend, the Dragons will need to keep their heads against a much weaker Gwangju side. After beating Busan 2-0 on the road, the Dragons pulled off the preposterous by not just winning against Jeonbuk, but doing so quite convincingly. This undoubtedly has them feeling pretty good about themselves, especially with 8th place and still winless Gwangju up next. It's also a short bus ride to the game on Sunday. So... everything's perfect for another three points, right?

Short answer: yes. Horrifying answer: not quite.

While I have all the confidence in the world Jeonnam will keep their heads and pull off what should be an easy win, there is a very real possibility that they'll come in a bit cocky against a desperate Gwangju side looking for points any way they can get em. However, Gwanju has mustered all of four goals this season while the Dragons defense has remained quite staunch allowing a meager 0.88 goals against per game compared to the league average of 1.14. Lee Seul Chan and Choi Hyo Jin took home K-League Best 11 honors this week, and should stay in form well enough to protect any lead the forwards can give.

Which leads to another potential issue:

Jeonnam's Lee Jong-ho, who was injured in game vs Jeonbuk, will reportedly be out for 3-4 weeks with a knee problem. #Kleague #Jeonnam

— Jae (@ArmchairRegista) April 29, 2015

Jong Ho has been pivotal in the Dragons attack both on the wing and as one of only five players to score a goal this season. Not only does this mean that Ristić and Ahn need to keep their good form rolling up top, but also that the midfield will need to replace Lee's creativity getting the ball into the final third. Perhaps this is the week Leandro Lima gets a start and truly runs with it? There will be few better opportunities than this for him. Jong Ho's out, it's a short trip, and Gwangju really just ain't that great. Should Lima or another midfielder manage to do a serviceable job, the Dragons should be walking away with all three points and their first three game win streak of the young season.

Prediction: Gwangju FC 0 - 2 Jeonnam Dragons

Now let's just hope this 2-0 prediction goes a bit better than the last one... It'll be a 1:30pm kickoff this Sunday (May 3rd) at Guus Hiddink Stadium in Gwangju.