Preview: Chungnam Asan FC vs Suwon FC

Chungnam Asan FC are back at home this coming Sunday afternoon following a draw against Daejeon Hana Citizen away last weekend, securing their first-ever point as a citizen club.  Suwon FC, meanwhile, bounced back from an opening weekend loss to the same club, defeating Ansan Greeners last time out for their first three points of the season.  Former Austrian youth international Armin Mujakic scored his first K League goal last weekend and will look to keep his momentum going.  An Byoung-jun has a pair of goals through the first two rounds for this weekend's visitors to Yi Sun Shin Stadium.  KLU's Branko Belan previews the K League 2 matchday three fixture.

Match: Chungnam Asan FC vs Suwon FC
Venue: Yi Sun Shin Stadium
Kickoff: Sunday May 24th, 2020; 18:30 KST

Last Time Out

Daejeon Hana Citizen 2-2 Chungnam Asan FC

Asan came away from their match against Daejeon last weekend with their first-ever K League 2 point.  Armin Mujakic put them in front on fourteen minutes when his shot on goal crashed against the underside of the crossbar and found the back of the net.  Daejeon would level proceedings with an injury-time penalty at the end of the first half after Andre Luis converted a retake from the penalty spot.

Asan would go back in front with twenty minutes to play when Jang Soon-hyuk rose well to head home, but their hosts would again even proceedings with under ten minutes to play as the Brazilian got his name on the score sheet a second time, and that is how the match would end at the final whistle.  

Highlights

Ansan Greeners 0-2 Suwon FC

Suwon picked up their first win of the season last weekend with a solid performance away to Ansan Greeners at the Wa Stadium.  For the most part, things went in favor of Suwon FC, and they could have gone in front on 24 minutes but had a goal chalked off for offside after An Byoung-jun was adjudged to be ahead of the play, after his cutback in the box was smashed home by Marlone.  They would continue to press forward and pressure the Green Wolves' back line and it paid off as Ahn cooly slotted home with a volley from close range after Marlone once again did the brunt of the work around the Ansan penalty area before clipping a ball over the top of the defense.

Lee Hee-seong played hero five minutes later with a double save, first denying An for his second, and then Danilo Alves to keep the deficit at one going to the half.

Suwon would salt the match away in the second half when the advantage was doubled on 68 minutes when Marlone's free kick from the left flank was headed in by Jo Yoo-min.  Ansan, despite a few half chances late on in the match, were not able to muster much offense on the day, and fell to their first defeat of the season.

Highlights

 

Previous Meetings

The past two seasons proved to have differing fortunes for both sides, as Asan Mugunghwa, the former military club, won all four matches against Suwon FC in their 2018 championship season.  Last year proved much different as Suwon FC won two matches, while the remaining two ended in draws.

With Sunday's match just around the corner, a new chapter in this budding rivalry is set to be written.

Team News

Chungnam Asan looked much better in their second outing last week after starting rather flatly against Bucheon 1995 FC to open the season.  Armin Mujakic now has his first league goal out of the way and will look to build on a good performance against Daejeon.  Asan looked better defensively overall and will look to press the ball to create counter-attacking opportunities for their skill players moving forward.  Philip Hellquist is still waiting to make his debut after missing the first two matches of the season through injury, but if fit, will at least be given a spot on the bench.

Suwon lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Ansan and made very good use of the ball both on the wings and through the channels in the middle.  The team has a plethora of attacking options, including Masatoshi Ishida, who came over in the winter transfer window from Ansan Greeners, so it remains to be seen if there will be any rotation for the match this coming weekend, or if Kim Do-kyun, who earned his first win as manager last weekend, will stay with the same starting eleven.  There is no injury news to report, so a full squad should be available.

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The Adversary

Kim Do-kyun earned his first managerial victory against Ansan Greeners last week.

Suwon have a good bunch of offensive options at their disposal this season, and they have already been on display in the first two matches.Marlone will be the key focal point in controlling the midfield and allocating the ball to his teammates around him.  Danilo Alves has shown promise as a winger and could pose problems for Asan on the left side.  An Byoung-jun already has two goals to his credit.

Their attacking approach against Ansan seemed to work well as they used the possession they had during the match to their advantage.  They are capable of hitting on the counter-attack with the talent they have and can put a lot of pressure on Asan's fullbacks.  It could be a determining factor in the result at the end of the ninety minutes.

What to Watch

Asan looked much better against Daejeon last week, but they have to take into account that the former military club did not perform well against Suwon last season.  The first fifteen to twenty minutes could set the tempo for the match.  If one team goes in front, it could prove to be an advantage that could carry for the rest of the match.  Asan twice went in front last week, but couldn't finish the job, so they have to develop a killer instinct to put the match away if they find themselves ahead late.  If, however, they try to depend too much on Ham Seok-min to keep them in the match, providing he gets the nod between the sticks, it could cost them in the end.

Suwon will be brimming with confidence following last week's performance, and with the success of the tactics employed, there is a very good chance there will not be much room to change what worked well for them.  In fact, it should be more of the same from them.

 

Prediction

Both teams will have taken something positive from last week, with Asan getting their first point in league play and Suwon winning for the first time this season.  Asan will want to get their first win at home and re-establish the form which led them to glory two years ago, while Suwon will look to make it two in a row and gain some momentum for the matches ahead.  In the end, though, both may have to share the spoils.

Predicted Score: Chungnam Asan FC 1-1 Suwon FC