Preview: Gyeongnam FC vs Incheon United

It's been almost three weeks since Gyeongnam played at Changwon yet this week's home match will see them play in Jinju Stadium. They will host the league's lowest-ranked side, Incheon United in what will be a very important match for both teams, with the winner of this game being able to move away from the foot of the table.

Last Time Out

Seongnam FC 1-1 Gyeongnam FC Gyeongnam FC left for Seongnam on the road in what was their first game after about two weeks of rest. The Reds sought victory but ended up with a draw. Luc Castaignos' league debut goal was good news for Gyeongnam FC, though key players were sidelined with injuries.

As soon as the game began, Seongnam showed a will to win. Gyeongnam’s defenders appeared to be out of place and continued to give the home side a shot. In the 13th minute though, Lee Yeongjae tried a mid-range shot to take the lead for Gyeongnam but was unsuccessful. However, Seongnam also showed their determination not to give up the lead by trying to shoot through mid-range shots. Kim Seungjun, who received Castaignos' pass in the 25th minute, ran into a Seongnam’s goalkeeper while trying to break through, and the game was suspended for a while. After the VAR, the match went in favour of Gyeongnam as Seongnam goalkeeper Kim Dongjun was sent off. The Reds’ continued attack was thwarted by the goalkeeper Jeon Jonghyuk, however.

With the start of the second half, Castaignos finally popped up with his debut league goal. The Dutchman neatly put in Bae's cross to take a 1-0 lead. In order to overcome the numerical inferiority, Magpies led the attack around Éder but were often blocked by the Gyeongnam defenders. The Reds kept the shaky lead, as Lee Bumsoo managed to get the better of Seo Bomin's free kick. Finally, a penalty kick was given to the home team with 30 seconds left before the end of the game. The game ended 1-1 with an Éder’s neat shot.

Highlights: here

Incheon United 0-1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Incheon hosted the league's top-ranked club Jeonbuk with the Motors expected to win in a landslide victory, but it was a match that Incheon showed their willingness not to give up the game easily. Moon Seonmin, who was leading Incheon's offence until last season, expected to put in a good showing against Incheon, but instead will have regrets of his performance in front of his old fans.

From the beginning of the game, both teams attempted a mid-range shot, and Jeonbuk's Son Junho's shot came off the post. Moon Seonmin's mistake gave Incheon a good chance, but they failed to score against the goalkeeper Song Bumkeun. Jeonbuk continued their attack using Kim Shinwook's height. However, he failed to find a way past Incheon's goalkeeper Lee Taehui. Jeonbuk went on to dominate in the air using the towering striker but failed to score. Incheon rather sought to score through a quick counterattack but ended the first half 0-0.

At the start of the second half, Incheon had a scoring opportunity, but once again it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Even durin the Motor's back-to-back corner kicks, Incheon didn't collapse and blocked Jeonbuk's efforts. Eventually, in the 79th minute, Kim Shinwook, who was looking for a headed goal throughout the game, scored and the away team began to take the lead. After going behind, the home team’s defence looked shaky and almost gave another goal to Jeonbuk during the injury time, led by Moon Seonmin, Kim Shinwook and Lee Donggook; yet the game ended in a 1-0 away victory.

Highlights: here

Previous Meetings

The latest match between the two teams was a league game at Incheon Football Stadium in early March. Looking at the relative record, Gyeongnam FC dominates Incheon United. The Reds have 11 wins, 12 draws and five losses against Incheon. In particular, the Changwon-based team have lost only twice in their home against Incheon. They have seven wins, four draws and two losses. In the case of last season, Gyeongnam had two wins and one draw in three head-to-head matches.

However, Incheon may be able to bring about quite different results this season. They had already won 2-1 against Gyeongnam in the last league match. Before this season, Incheon’s last win against Gyeongnam FC in the league was in August 2014. This time, Incheon will come to Changwon to at least earn a point and manager Yoo Sangchul should have prepared a lot to obtain a decent result for their fans.

Team News

Gyeongnam FC, which failed to win their last match, has yet to rebound. So far, the Reds have been having a terrible season with two draws and four losses in the last six league matches. Manager Kim Jongboo may be nervous because he has not been able to produce the desired result. However, the injuries of the main players were unexpected, so the manager has to deal with the rest of the players to obtain the best result they can. Since there are no suspended players, all players except for the injured can play in the coming up game. Just as in the last game, Kim Seungjun and Luc Castaignos will lead the offence, Ko Kyungmin and Lee Yeongjae will be in charge of the midfield. Bae Kijong is expected to start from the bench. He will look to change the atmosphere of the 2nd half.

In the case of the home team, Incheon United will seek victory as they did at the beginning of this season. With Jørn Andersen at the helm, Incheon United defeated Gyeongnam FC in the early March. It is expected to try to make good results by reviving memories from three months ago. In this game, Lim Eunsu is not allowed to play due to suspension. Manager Yoo Sangchul will try to score through counterattacks with wingers’ speed. The expected formation is 4-2-3-1.

What To Watch

Incheon United have scored four goals since its manager Yoo Sangchul took over the team. Considering that the Incheon had scored a total of eight goals in this season, the team's scoring capacity has improved under their new manager. Although staying at the bottom of the league table, watching the development of the attack through a quick counterattack will be an interesting point to watch, given the team's improving scoring capabilities.

For Gyeongnam FC, they will play at their home after three weeks. Watching the diversity of Kim Seungjun and Luc Castaignos' attacks will be a good point to watch as they have rarely lost against Incheon at home. Also, Lee Youngjae's mid-range shot and Bae Kijong's attack using his excellent dribbling skills will provide the fans with some joy.

Prediction

It will be a very exciting game as both teams' battle it out to move away from the bottom of the league. However, it seems very difficult for Incheon to win the game. Incheon scored only eight goals in 16 matches this season, while Gyeongnam FC scored 19 goals. Also, the Reds’ Luc Castaignos' recent performance is likely to threaten Incheon defenders enough. The home team has been attacking with 4-2-3-1 formation since its manager Yoo Sangchul took the helm, and will seek scoring opportunities through fast counterattacking.

Predicted Score: Incheon United 1-2 Gyeongnam FC