Preview: Ansan Greeners Vs Gwangju FC

Fifth and sixth meet at the Wa Stadium this Saturday as Ansan Greeners and Gwangju FC battle it out to keep with the playoff places. Ansan head into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Daejeon whilst Gwangju can boast of back-to-back wins.
(image via K League)

Last Time Out

Both Ansan and Gwangju last took the field in Daejeon, with Gwangju visiting Purple Arena on Sunday and Ansan Wednesday. Gwangju came away with a 2-1 victory with two injury time goals from Lee Hando and Na Sangho to stun Daejeon who had taken the lead just five minutes from time despite playing most of the second half with ten men.

It was Gwangju’s second win on the bounce and will no doubt give them momentum as they travel up to Ansan. The Greeners’ trip to Daejeon was not as rewarding  however with the two sides drawing 1-1. Citizen took a first half lead through a Kwon Youngwho header from a corner before Raul Tarragona, his first start since returning from injury, equalised with a sublime finish, curling the ball from an angle on the left side of the area to nestle in the right corner of the goal. It was not an unblemished return however, as he was sent off for an alleged elbow minutes after. Neither side could find a breakthrough, keeping both sides increasingly out of reach of fourth placed Busan IPark.

Previous Meetings

The two sides last met in April, with a bore draw down in Jeolla. The stakes might spur more life into this encounter however as both sides have the chance to move into fourth with a win. Fourth placed Busan IPark travel to league leaders Seongnam on Sunday, and in the event of a Seongnam win, either of these sides could end up sitting in play-off places come Monday morning.

Team News

Ansan will be pleased to have Raul Tarragona and K2 top scorer and Choi Hojoo match fit, however Raul will be unavailable for selection due to his straight red in Daejeon, but the club have confirmed that they are appealing the decision. Lee Heunsil continues to rotate the forward line, and Ansan have yet to find that ‘golden ticket.’ Lee Geon featured in the draw against Daejeon and is expected to be involved come Saturday.

Prediction

This game is bigger than it first looks, as even a draw would be a major disappointment for both sides, especially with Busan IPark facing a major task in getting anything at  Tancheon on Sunday. However, with any game with tight margins, a draw is the most likely outcome, save for an individual piece of brilliance to distinguish between the two sides.

Ansan Greeners 1-1 Gwangju FC