Preview: Daegu FC vs Gangwon FC

After three defeats on the trot, Gangwon FC travel down route 55 do bottom-of-the-league Daegu FC. After Seoul’s victory midweek, Daegu are the only team in the league without a win. Steve Price looks at this clash between two out-of-form sides.

Game: Daegu FC vs Gangwon FC

Venue: Daegu Stadium

Kick off: Sunday 2 p.m.

Last Time Out

Gangwon started the season perfectly with three wins out of three, but have lost three matches since. Last time out, they took on Suwon Bluewings at home and unlike their previous two defeats, they took the lead in the game, twice. But a lack of concentration led Gangwon to concede a goal right at the end of each half to lose the match 3-2.

Their lack of draws means they are still quite high in the league going into this game, and based on their performances, they probably deserved at least a few points out of those three defeats. With 22 goals in their six games so far, Gangwon are the team to watch if you like high-scoring matches.

Daegu on the other hand have only scored twice so far this season. However, their defense is tighter than Gangwon’s with only nine goals conceded to Gangwon’s twelve. In Daegu’s last match they lost 2-0 to Ulsan, with both goals coming in the last fifteen minutes of the match.

Previous Meetings

The two teams last met all the way back in July 2017 at Gangwon’s Pyeongchang ski-jump stadium. Evandro scored in the 19th minute for Daegu, who had Oh Gwang-jin sent off for two yellow cards, but the away team held on for a one-nil win.

Who To Watch

Gangwon’s Serbian target man Uroš Đerić is a real nuisance for defenders. He’s big and strong, but his main attribute is his pace and ability to put the opposition’s defense under pressure. His pressing has already directly contributed to three or four goals for Gangwon this season, including the opener against Suwon where he won the ball and then ran at the Suwon defense before playing it across the box to give Kang Ji-hoon an easy finish. He’s also netted four goals himself so far this season.

Prediction

Daegu will be hoping that Gangwon’s dodgy defense can help give the home fans something to cheer about, but with all the firepower Gangwon have up-front, Daegu will struggle to keep a clean sheet.

Daegu FC 1 – Gangwon 3