Preview: Daejeon Citizen Vs Anyang FC

Daejeon Citizen							FC Anyang
W	W	D	L	D			W	L	D	D	D
					Competition:	K-League Challenge
					Date:	Sep 24, 2016
					Game Week:	Round 36
					Kick-off:	19:00
					Venue:	Daejeon World Cup Stadium

Too Little Too Late

Anything that Daejeon do from here on in will be perhaps all be in vain but Coach Choi Moon-Sik will be under pressure to finish the season strongly, his job could be on the line after all.

Following the goalless draw with Bucheon at the start of the week, Daejeon's chances of booking themselves a place in this season's playoffs are somewhat unlikely, with Citizen now seven points adrift and with time running out.

Saturday's opponents Anyang are in a similar boat to Citizen, with the south Gyeonggi Province-based side showing a distinct inability to turn draws into victories,  something they were all too guilty of last year too.

However, with a mere nine points separating third from eighth, the promotion and playoff spots are far from a foregone conclusion.

Perhaps only the most optimistic of supports will believe that that a win for either side would put them back in the, but it would certainly put pressure on those who currently occupy those much-coveted playoff places, namely Daegu, Gangwon and Busan who lie in third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

Anyang make the trip to Purple Arena on the back of a sticky patch of form which has, typically, seen them draw three in a row, and pick up just one win in their last six outings.

Life on the road has proved to tough for Anyang who have recorded just two away wins all season, recording 1-0 wins at bottom club Goyang and fellow strugglers Chungju.

Previous Meetings

It appears as though Anyang are somewhat of a bogey side for Daejeon, with Citizen without a win against Anyang in their last five meetings.

Citizen's last victory over Anyang dates back to their 2014 K League Challenge winning season when the Purples recorded a resounding 4-0 victory at World Cup Stadium in the July of that year.

On that warm summer evening in Daejeon, the Purples found themselves two goals to the good inside 11 minutes thanks to an Adriano brace.

Then, just shy of the half hour mark, Kim Chan-Hee made it three before Adriano added a fourth, and in the process completed his hat-trick on 59 minutes.

Said game was preceded by a 3-2 Daejeon win in Anyang two months earlier.

Song Joo-Han put Daejeon in front on 28 minutes only for Kim Jae-Woong to equalise on the stroke of half time.

Rim Chang-Woo put Daejeon back in front on 56 minutes before Brazilian forward Vanderlei put daylight between the two sides by scoring Daejeon's third two minutes later.

However, a Felipe Adao strike on 75 minutes ensured of a nervy ending but Daejeon held firm and picked up the win.

More recently, Daejeon narrowly lost at Anyang this July with Kim Min-Gyun scoring the game's only goal on 44 minutes.

Before that, on 'Children's Day', 5th May, the two sides shared four goals and indeed the points in a thrilling encounter in the spring sunshine in Anyang.

Kim Dong-Chan squeezed a penalty under 'keeper Choi Pil-Soo to give the visitors the lead on 25 minutes only for Kim Do-Young to level for Anyang three minutes later.

Midfielder Hwang In-Beom put Daejeon back in front with a spectacular solo effort which saw the teenage sensation dance past several Anyang players before coolly slotting the ball in the bottom corner to make it 2-1.

But, despite a spell of dominance, Daejeon conceded another equaliser on 61 minutes in a goal which was harshly marked down as a Park Ju-Won own goal after Anyang themselves were awarded a penalty.

Choi Young-Hoon stepped up but the youngster saw his penalty expertly saved by Park Ju-Won who flung himself to his left to palm the ball out.

Unfortunately the ball landed back into the path of Choi Young-Hoon who smashed home the rebound via a slight deflection off the goalkeeper, 2-2.

Team News

Much to the delight of Coach Choi Moon-Sik, who this week said that his team were lacking aggression in attack on Monday, Daejeon will welcome back Brazilian forward Gustavo Sauerbeck and midfielder Kim Sun-Min.

Both were absent due to suspension following an accumulation of three yellow cards and both will likely slot back into the team come Saturday.

Gustavo has forged quite the understanding with Kim Dong-Chan and has become a key member of the team with his ability to drop deep and carry the ball up the field.

The Brazlian's technique and vision have been the perfect foil for Daejeon's top scorer Kim Dong-Chan.

Kim Sun-Min, meanwhile, will slot back in alongside Hwang In-Beom and Kim Byung-Suk and add a sense of dynamism to Daejeon's midfield.

As for Anyang, Choi Young-Hoon is back in contention after missing Anyang's draw with Chungju through suspension.

Kim Jin-Hwan, however, is set to miss out after picking up his third yellow card of the season in the aforementioned draw with Chungju Hummel.