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Preview: Seoul E-Land vs Bucheon FC 1995

K League 2 Preview: Seoul E-Land vs Bucheon 1995

Seoul E-Land continued their undefeated streak to four games after scoring a late equalizer against Jeonnam Dragons in the previous round of the K League 2. The Leopards managed to salvage a point away from home, in what was a smash and grab from the capital club. Focus now turns back to Cheonan when Bucheon 1995 comes to town. As a team Seoul have already defeated this year in the FA Cup, could they get the same result this time around or will Bucheon look for revenge?



Overview

Via: Soccerway

Last Time Out

The last game of the round in the K League 2 saw Seoul E-Land travel down to Jeonnam, for a tie against the Dragons. As a team who were playing in K League 1 last year, it would be a tough task for Seoul to come away with anything from the game.

Unsurprisingly then, it took the home side only three minutes after kick off to punish the away team as Kim Young-Wook made it 1-0 to the Dragons. Jeonnam continued to look in control for the majority of the game, but Seoul did not give up so easily.

Seoul boss Kim Hyun-soo brought on Wesley Alex in the second half, and Seoul began to press more forward. In the 92nd minute, a well-placed cross from Douglas Coutinho was met by a header from Alex which he converted to share the spoils.

Full time: Jeonnam Dragons 1-1 Seoul E-Land

Bucheon also had an away game this past Monday evening, as they made the trip to face Daejeon Citizen.

The game was a stalemate until the 80th minute when Daejeon's Chitu gave the hosts the lead. Bucheon pushed on, however, and kept Daejeon pegged back for the final ten minutes. A goal may well have come if there had been more time..

The Citizens held on through the attacks though and it means that Bucheon have now not won in six games across the league and FA Cup.

Full time: Daejeon Citizen 1-0 Bucheon 1995

Previous Meetings

The two teams won two games a piece in the 2018 season. Funnily enough, it was always the away team in the fixture which ran away with the win. The first game saw Seoul go two goals up in the first half, only to let it slip and lose 4-2. The second saw Seoul run riot in a 3-0 win in the Bucheon Stadium, including a goal from young midfielder Choi Han-sol. The third game was again in Bucheon, and Seoul won 2-0. The game will be remembered for a long distance free kick goal from Choi Chi-won. The final game the two played in the league was at Jamsil, where Bucheon managed a 1-0 win.

As said previously, the two teams have met already this year, as the two sides faced off in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. Seoul won 3-1, but they did need to go to extra time after the score was 1-1 after normal time.

Team News

Seoul E-Land have been using a formation of 4-2-3-1 lately, deploying Brazilian Coutinho upfront as a lone striker.

When they went a goal down and were still goalless in the second half, they switched to a 4-4-2 and brought Wesley Alex on for a partnership with his Brazilian counterpart.

Seoul looks once again, more stable at the back, and their conceded goal was due to a small defensive error early into the game.

Wesley Alex has always made an impact when on the pitch, but hasn’t started in the last three. With his heroics on Monday saving E-Land from defeat, he may go and get the nod to be in the starting 11 this time around.

We have also yet to see Duarte in recent fixtures. The Brazilian could be used as he will be well rested for the side.

Another midfield change Seoul made in the second half against Jeonnam, was bringing Masuda on. The Japanese player is good at moving the ball, and building up play from the middle of the park.

The Adversary

Last season Bucheon were the K League 2 leaders for the opening seven matches, before their performances started to slowly become more and more negative and they drifted down the table, eventually finishing in 8th place. It is beginning to look like a similar story this season, with the only difference being that it has begun earlier. After a bright start to the season that saw them win their opening two games, they have failed to win since and have instead succumbed to a period of losses and draws.

This period has been marked by problems in both their defense and attack. Their defense at least seems to be improving in regards to their discipline, which was a big problem at the beginning of the campaign.

Bucheon 1995 fell short to Daejeon citizens in the last round, will they fair better when they come up against Seoul E-Land?


The number of penalties they have conceded has fallen in recent games, however, the amount of goals they have conceded has not. Their brief period of wins at the beginning of the season coincided with their only two clean-sheets so far, with them having conceded at least one goal in every match since.

Tightening up the defense has taken on additional importance now that their consistent scoring streak has been broken. After having scored in every game this season, Bucheon finally failed to find the net in the 1-0 defeat at Daejeon. After spending a whole season relying on their defenders and midfielders to do all the goal scoring work, Bucheon will need their forwards to step up from now on.

The experiment with using defender Kim Jae-woo as a lone striker was paused on Monday, despite his success in scoring in the previous game against Ansan. As his replacement Jeong Tae-hoon failed to score against Daejeon, it is anyone’s guess as to who will be playing up front on Saturday.

One thing that we can almost be certain of is that there will probably be only one player in the striker’s role in the game against Seoul E-land. This is because the coach has largely stuck by his favoured 4-5-1 formation throughout the season, though there have been slight changes depending on the opponent, causing it to resemble a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 depending on the opponent.

This consistency is partly due to the fact that Bucheon have been lucky in avoiding injuries and suspensions to their players and have not been forced to change. The main reason, though, is because the formation simply makes the most sense, considering that their best assets are in midfield. They have scored the majority of Bucheon’s goals this season and have always been competent when helping the back line carry out their defensive duties. If Bucheon are to stop the rot and return to winning ways, it will almost certainly be due to the performances of the midfielders.

By George Slade

Who To Watch

Nilson Junior has been a fixture in the Bucheon team since his arrival in 2017 and has shown this season that he is as important as ever. The defensive midfielder has played in every match this season and has been a key link between the defenders and his more attack-minded midfield colleagues. Comfortable on the ball and strong in the challenge, without Nilson Junior his side would no doubt be missing a certain spark.

Nilson Junior celebrates his goal against Busan IPark, in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Bucheon 1995 back in March

While not prolific he has shown an ability to score important and impressive goals in his time in Korea. His 92nd-minute equalizer in the 3-3 draw at Busan, in which he drilled it into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area, is a perfect example of this. At 30 years old he has several years left in him and Bucheon will be hoping he will continue in their service. Despite all of Bucheon’s troubles, Seoul E-Land will have a tough match on their hands if he is plays to the best of his ability on Saturday.

By George Slade

Prediction

Seoul have been playing well of late, staying in games until the death and are playing with more style and confidence. Bucheon, on the other hand, are really falling down the table, and have not looked inspiring in the slightest. It will be interesting to see if they can change their fortunes on Saturday.

Going down to Cheonan will be no easy task for them, and they will look to try and get something out of the game and start to climb the table again. Seoul will take their point against Jeonnam and use it as inspiration to push forward and try to keep their undefeated streak alive.

Predicted Score: Seoul E-Land 1-0 Bucheon 1995

K League 2 Round 8 Preview: here

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