Preview: Seoul E-Land Vs Jeonnam Dragons

The trials and tribulations continue for Seoul E-Land in the 2019 K League 2. After failing to get a result away at Daejeon Citizen, they once again find themselves back in Cheonan, as they face off against Jeonnam Dragons. Jeonnam gave the Leopards their first of four wins in a row back in July. Can Seoul repeat that this Tuesday night?

Last Time Out

Seoul E-Land travelled down to the Daejeon World Cup Stadium on Saturday evening, in what was a rather underwhelming affair between the two sides. There was not much firepower from Seoul E-Land, and they were really failing to create any real goal scoring chances. The main talking points came in the second half. In the 54th minute, Seoul E-Land captain Ahn Ji-ho pulled down Lee Jung-moon. With the defender being the last man, he was given a straight red, and Seoul had to play the remainder of the game with only 10 men.

Daejeon took full advantage of the sending off and were getting closer to scoring, every chance they had. Their breakthrough came in the 78th minute when VAR stepped in. Stand-in captain Kim Mink-yun handled the ball, and the referee awarded a penalty. Kim Seung-sub converted, and the Citizens went ahead. Daejeon managed to hold onto the lead, and got a vital win, putting them now level on points with the Leopards.

Full Time: Daejeon Citizen 1-0 Seoul E-Land



A more interesting affair happened in the game between Jeonnam Dragons and Busan IPark, where a six-goal thriller occurred down in Gwangyang. It was the home team who took the lead in the game, as Han Chang-hee took a shot from just outside the box, putting Jeonnam 1-0 up. Busan retaliated instantly, only a minute later. Kim Jin-gyu was the goal scorer, and the fans were gearing up for classic between the two sides.  They were not disappointed, as the Dragons went ahead in the tie only five minutes later. An excellent run from Kim Gyeong-min, left the Busan defenders in the cold. A then well-placed shot made the score 2-1. Busan did not give up, and a fourth goal came just shy of the 20th minute. Choi Jae-hyeon ended up hitting Lee Dong-jun in the penalty box, after VAR, the referee awarded Busan the penalty. Diego Maurício converted, and the scores were level.

The enthralling tie continued to not disappoint, as only four minutes later, Bruno Nunes was left unmarked from a corner and headed the ball home for the boys in yellow. Five goals within 25 minutes of the game. That is when the floodgates closed, however, and it was not until injury time when we saw the sixth and final goal. Jeonnam tried to hang on to their narrow lead, yet a well-placed volley from Kim Jin-gyu caught keeper Park Jun-hyuk off guard, and the ball trickled past him. It was all square as the full-time whistle blew, and the points were shared.

Full Time: Jeonnam Dragons 3-3 Busan IPark

 

Previous Meetings

The last time the two played, was at the end of July. Seoul went on a horrible run of form, failing to win within 14 games. It was the heroics of Won Ki-jong in the 30th minute, put Seoul ahead in the game. Seoul managed to hang onto a famous win, their first and only win away from home in the league this year. The loss from Jeonnam cost Brazilian manager Fabiano's job.

The meeting on Tuesday will be the fourth and final meeting between the two, with the two sides drawing one, and having one win a piece.

Team News

The news coming out of the Leopards camp this week will be the absence of captain Ahn Ji-ho in the game. His red card leaves him out of the this round, and Woo Sung-yong will have to go back to the drawing board for his starting line up. Goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang made it into the team, even after his injury in the game against Busan. Another loss for Seoul in the game will be Kim Mink-yun, who is also suspended, due to too many yellow cards. Seoul may be slightly depleted in the game, and will probably go with Durate and Coutinho once again upfront.

Alex was left out of the game against Daejeon and maybe drafted back in due to Kim Mink-yun's absence. Choi Han-sol will also be once again available, who will be an added bonus for the boys in blue.

The Adversary

Jeonnam goes into the game with no suspensions. The Dragons have had a less than inspiring season in the K League 2. As they were relegated last season, many tipped the side to go straight back up into the top league. With only eight wins this year, the side have failed to impress. Jeonnam's two highest scorers only have five goals each, that is Brazilian Bruno Nunes and Kim Young-uk.

With also conceding 38 goals this year, the side does have some defensive errors which need to be addressed, if they are to have a better 2020.

Prediction

The mid-week affair comes after a tiring game for Jeonnam, and a disappointing result for Seoul in the prior round. Both sides will hope to improve on their games last weekend and show that there is still life in the two teams. It is important the two sides continue to push for as many points possible, as Seoul will be desperate not to drop back down to 10th.

Seoul E-Land 1-1 Jeonnam Dragons