Preview: Daegu FC vs Sangju Sangmu

Friday night football comes to DGB Daegu Bank Park for the first time this season where fourth placed Daegu FC and fifth placed Sangju Sangmu go to head to head for the first meeting of this season. Can Daegu continue to challenge for the title, or will Sangju halt Daegu’s fine run? K League United Daegu FC Correspondent Muyeol Jung previews this clash.

Last Time Out

Gangwon FC 0-2 Daegu FC

Daegu FC made the long trip to the north to face off against Gangwon FC. Despite the forced changes due to injuries, Daegu returned home with three points in the bag after two second half goals from Jung Seungwon and Brazilian forward Edgar.

Throughout the game, Daegu’s possession never particularly overwhelmed Gangwon’s, but they were very effective and dangerous on the counterattack. Despite the absence of Cesinha, the Sky Blues seemed to have no difficulty in creating chances with eight shots on target out of 19 shots in total, while Gangwon had only five on targets out of 12 shots. The hosts tried to make a differences with early substitutions, but couldn’t find a way to pass through Korean international Jo Hyeonwoo.

Highlights: here

Jeju United 2-3 Sangju Sangmu

Winless Jeju United invited military team Sangju Sangmu to the island in the hunt for a first win of this season. However, United lost to the soldiers 3-2 after former Jeju midfielder Yoon Bitgaram beautifully stroked the ball into the top corner from direct freekick in stoppage time.

For the opening 45 minutes, neither side were able to break the deadlock. In the second half, the visitors took a 2-0 lead through Park Yongji’s and a Lee Donghee own goal before the hosts levelled the game thanks to Yoon Ilrok’s header and Magno Cruz’s conversion. The game could have ended as a stalemate, but Yoon Bitgaram dealt the knock out blow to his parent club via an elegantly struck ball into the top corner from a free kick just before the final whistle was blown.

Highlights: here

Previous Meetings

Between the two teams, Daegu FC have always been the favourite to get the result with nine wins and seven draws from 18 meetings. For the latest ten meetings, Daegu have also had the upper hand with four wins and four draws, while Sangju have had only two wins. The latest meeting was held in November 2018 in Daegu Stadium as the last K League game in the venue before the Sky Blues moved to a new stadium named DGB Daegu Bank Park. It ended in a goalless draw.

Team News

Andre’s boys will have rested well for a nearly full week after busy fixture pileup up until Gangwon away. Therefore, the majority of the first team squad should be available for selection with just a few players still out.

First of all, young defender Kim Wooseok and Brazilian playmaker Cesinha will not play against Sangju through suspension and a hamstring injury respectively. The Brazilian, who is expected to be out for two weeks, could have been back in time for the visit of Sangju, but along with defender Kim Wooseok, is advertised for an event with fans on match day. As a result, Park Byunghyun and Hwang Soonmin are likely to start instead.

Meanwhile, regular right wingback Kim Junyeop remains uncertain. He looked okay when he came on the pitch as substitute against Gangwon after missing two games due to an unknown injury, but has since posted a picture of him being hospitalised for reasons unknown . His place will likely be replaced by young wingback Jang Seongwon.

The Adversary

Sangju Sangmu usually line up in a 4-4-2 formation with diamond shape in the middle. Interestingly, having central-minded midfielders such as Yoon Bitgaram and Ahn Jinbeom on midfield areas allows Sangju full backs Kim Minwoo and Lee Taehee to have more space on each flank. What Sangju are good at is long passes from side to side through Yoon Bitgaram. In this strategy, the Korean National Team player Kim Minwoo is very dangerous on the left hand side and Daegu FC should be wary of him.

Upfront, Park Yongji and Song Siwoo are regular attackers, scoring five of ten goals Sangju have notched this season. They are not classical goal poachers, but good attackers with pace and good dribbling ability.

Coming into the Daegu game, Sangju have two players suspended after picking up two yellow cards; centre back Kim Youngbin and right full back Lee Taehee. Accordingly, Baek Donggyu and Lee Minki are likely step in.

Who To Watch

Daegu FC - Jung Seungwon

While usual central midfielder Ryu Jaemoon seems to have had some difficulty in re-finding his fine form, young attacker Jung Seungwon has taken his place in the centre with Japanese midfielder Tsubasa Nishi. The 1997 year-born youngster is usually regarded as an attacker like Kim Daewon, but since last summer, he has been playing in a central midfield role. For that change, Daegu Manager Andre stated: “he has a very high work rate in the middle, he also plays an important role in the team counterattacking”.

Out of possession, he plays as defensive or central midfielder, but in possession, he asymmetrically turns into a wing forward. This season, Jung has featured in eight K League games and has one goal to his name.

Prediction

Given the teams' strengths and head to head record, Daegu will be the favourites to get the result here without a problem.

Predicted Score: Daegu FC 2-0 Sangju Sangmu