FA Cup Preview: Suwon FC vs Daegu FC

Following a convincing win over Chungju Citizen in the previous round, Suwon FC will take on the current holders of the competition Daegu FC in the Korean FA Cup 4th Round. The Sky Blues have began brightly in 2019 and will be seen as the favorites for Wednesday's cup tie. However, when these two teams last met in 2015, it was Suwon FC who came out on top. Columnists Lee Young-sub and Jung Mu-yeol preview this K League 2 vs K League 1 clash.

Last Time Out

Suwon FC 1-1 Jeonnam Dragons

Manager Kim Dae-ui seems to have settled with the 3-5-2 formation, as the results were more positive than his previously deployed 4-2-3-1. However, it was the first time that two of the new foreign attacking imports were aligned at the same time as the two front-runners of the system. Chisom Egbuchulam and An Byong-jun were trusted by the manager for their excellent performance from the past few games. Furthermore, central midfielder Jovlon Ibrokhimov’s absence was replaced by Jang Seong-jae and this appointment was rather successful as the 23-year-old, as well as captain Baek Sung-dong overwhelmed the midfield and led the team’s attack.

However, the visiting team were the first to find the net. Center forward, Bruno dribbled into the penalty box and easily ran past Suwon’s defenders. This enabled captain, Choi Hyo-jin to be wide open in front of goal to convert. It was frustrating for the home side as they were the dominant team throughout the match.

Manager Kim showed his desperation by making two substitutes seven minutes into the second half. With more attackers on the pitch, Suwon earned themselves a free-kick with An Byong-jun chosen to take for this splendid opportunity for the hosts to equalise. The North Korean international hit a stunning strike into the top corner of the goal to equalize the game. It was his second goal of the season.

Suwon FC failed to earn three points at home but their unbeaten run now stands at four matches. Meanwhile, the Dragons still struggle to outperform their opponents in K League 2 stage and have just one win this season.

Highlights: here

Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0-0 Daegu FC

Edgar was back in the starting line-up for Daegu's away match with Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Sunday. Firing two goals before injury, the 32-year-old’s return was huge reinforcement to Daegu’s artillery.

The counter-attack, led by Kim Dae-won and Cesinha, were a threat to Suwon’s defence. It was speedy and Daegu’s attackers managed to find themselves in positions to take shots on goal. However, all of the Sky Blues'efforts were kept out by Bluuewings goalkeeper, Noh Dong-geon who did not let a single ball pass through him. The game ended as a draw leaving the visiting team goalless for the past two games.

Highlights: here

Previous Meetings

The most previous meeting was held in K League 2 (back then K League Challenge) on 28th November 2015, when Suwon FC was the winner with scoreline of 2-1. It was a historic win for the visiting team as they put themselves into the final play-off against Busan IPark for their promotion to K League 1 (back then K League Classic) for the first time in the club's history.

Both teams’ key players, Jonathan (Daegu FC) and Sisinio (Suwon FC) were absent from the game due to injury and suspension respectively and so it was about which team could replace their missing stars.

As the rule stated that a draw would see Daegu FC go through due to the Sky Blues finishing second while Suwon FC was third in the league, Suwon had no choice but to be offensive. However, after 20 minutes after Suwon took the lead veteran striker, Noh Byung-jun equalized. Suwon FC striker, Japa scored the winning goal in the 80th minute with his right foot to silence the fans in Daegu Stadium. It was a night to remember for the away team.

Team News

Jovlon Ibrokhimov missed the previous game against Jeonnam Dragons and his absence may prove tobe longer. Furthermore, the central midfielder Kim Jong-gook’s absence due to injury leaves his return date to unknown.

The Adversary

Despite the possibility of fatigue due to lack of rotation and a busy fixture schedule, Daegu surprisingly dominated the whole game away to Suwon Bluewings and almost bagged three points on the road, but just couldn’t open the scoring in the end after 14 shots on target were entirely denied by Suwon goalkeeper Noh Dong-geon.

In a post-interview after the goalless draw to Suwon, Daegu Manager Andre expressed his satisfaction by saying: “it was pretty good result earning a point on the road, though, after having a disappointing away game in ACL”. However, he also added his concern on fatigue, implying that there will be some changes on the midweek game: “it’s unlikely to always set out the strongest side and we need some changes that I will discuss with my backroom staff”.

After the weekend's game, Daegu FC chose to stay in Suwon to let players have more rest time without travelling back home till after the FA Cup clash against Suwon FC. Considering the gaffer showing his eagerness for Daegu to fight on three different fronts, he is still likely to set out some regular players who have not earned much game time like Ryu Jae-moon, Kang Yoon-ku and Kim Jin-hyuk as well as Jeong Tae-wook, Jang Seong-won, and Jeon Hyun-chul.

Meanwhile key players who have kept on playing without any substitution such as Cesinha, Hong Jeong-woon, Kim June-yeop, and Tsubasa are likely to start the game on the bench or to be rested out. Between the sticks, the second choice Lee June-hee is likely to start the game instead of Korean international Jo Hyeon-woo.

Expected line up: Lee June-hee, Han Hee-hoon, Jeong Tae-wook, Park Byung-hyun, Ryu Jae-moon, Park Han-bin, Jang Seong-won, Kang Yoon-ku, Jeon Hyun-chul, Kim Jin-hyuk, Dario.

Who To Watch

Suwon FC – Park Hyeong-soon

The 29 years-old goalkeeper's duty may be to drag the game into a penalty shootout and eventually lead to an unlikely win in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Protecting Castle Park since 2012, Park has played more than 80 games for Suwon FC and knows what it means to stand in goal for the underdog. It is predicted that manager Kim Dae-ui will rest his usual outfield players for the weekend’s away game against Gwangju FC, a game which which is anticipated to be a very tough fixture. Park’s hands may be the only hope for the home team to reach the next round.

Daegu FC – Kim Jin-hyuk

Scoring three goals in the past three league games, including a stunning volley at Sungui Arena Park, Kim Jin-hyuk will be full of confidence. However, some fans may remember him as a defender due to his positional change in his early years at Daegu FC as recommended by Daegu’s CEO, Mr. Cho Kwang-rae. The change enabled Kim to shine at Daegu FC as he was able to play more than 60 games.

It is highly likely that the striker will be given the chance to play the full 90 minutes at the Castle Park as Daegu's other attacking forces who played during the Sunday’s league game with Suwon Bluewings may need rest. It is now on Kim to help his team advance to the round of 16 before enlisting himself with army side Sangju Sangmu.

Prediction

It is always difficult to upset the current holders of a cup competition. Daegu FC manager, Andre will want to stay in the ACL next season though, while Suwon will be prioritizing the league to earn themselves promotion to K League 1.

Predicted Score: Suwon FC 0-1 Daegu FC

Live Stream: YouTube

FA Cup 4th Round Preview: here