Preview: Gwangju FC vs Seoul E-Land

Seoul E-Land experienced another crushing defeat midweek, against a good Daejeon Citizen side with nothing but a win on their mind. As hard as they fought, trying to forget their embarrassing defeat to Busan, the side fell due to two goals in the second half from The Citizens.

Two losses in a row for The Leopards and it seems that their encouraging spell of form last month is nothing more than a distant memory. With a trip down to Gwangju on Sunday evening for the Seoul based side, things could easily turn from bad to worse.
(image via K League)

Last Time Out

The midweek clash saw a strong Daejeon side who came to Jamsil in the hope of continuing their winning ways, after beating Anyang on the weekend. Both teams started well, both having a few chances on the ball. It was the same formula as it has been for most games for E-Land though as they just didn’t change gears in the first half.

The first goal came in the 49th minute when Shohruh Gadoev slotted the ball past Kim Young-kwang. It was early into the second half, and it is easy to say that E-Land left all their motivation in the dressing room.

The second goal came in the dying moments of the game, where a well-worked Daejeon counter-attack saw Aurelian Chitu, make it two. Seoul E-Land have lost their last two home games now, and have to meet Gwangju, Asan Mugunghwa and then Seongnam in their next three outings. There are tough times ahead for the Jamsil-based club.

Gwangju saw a better result when they played two days prior to E-Land on a Monday evening. A home game against 2nd place Asan Mugunghwa was on the agenda and Gwangju actually found themselves 1-0 ahead in the first minute. Brazillian Felipe was the man with the early goal.

Asan did manage to equalize on the stroke of half-time, with a goal coming from Koo Dae-young. There was no more action to call in the second half, and a well-worked point was given for their hard efforts.

Previous Meetings

Seoul will want to forget their last meeting with Gwangju in early July. A midweek trip down south was on the cards, and E-Land were looking to take anything from the game.

Gwangju had other ideas, and the league’s top goal scorer Na Sang-ho made it 1-0 with only 15 minutes on the clock. The striker has been exceptional for the side this year and has been a real threat to every team in the league.

Gwangju continued their push in the second half, and Kim Jung-hwan doubled the scoreline in the 57th. The nail in the coffin came in the 72nd minute, where Kim Min-gyu made it 3-0 to the home side. It proved a convincing performance from Gwangju and they will wish to replay it again on Sunday.

Team News

The biggest news this week to come out of E-Land is the return of Diego Bielkiewicz from a lengthy eye injury. The Argentinean played up top for The Leopards and will hope to build fitness as the season continues.

Ahn Ji-ho was still absent in the back line on Wednesday and will be available if needed. One other positive for E-Land is that Jeon Min-kwang will also be able after suspension.

In Chang-soo will have a headache picking a team this week. The two poor performances from the team have indicated that some changes are required.

It must be mentioned that Ivan had a good game in the back line for The Leopards though and, despite the scoreline, it seems they are happy with him in a center back role after all.

As for Gwangju, they are currently missing two of their best players due to the Asian Games; golden boot leader Na Sang-ho and midfielder Lee Seung-mo, offering E-Land a glimmer of hope.

Prediction 

It’s been a difficult week for Seoul E-Land, they have conceded seven goals in four days. They need to bounce back and do so quickly. We know that E-Land fancy their chances against the big boys this year,  and we’ve seen them claim three points on multiple occasions against the cream of the crop.

I hope to see a competitive game for Seoul, but with their next games being Asan and Seongnam after this, they need some kind of result here otherwise it could be a very long few weeks for the Jamsil faithful. Unfortunately, I just cannot see them getting it.

Predicted Score: Gwangju FC 2-0 Seoul E-Land