FA Cup Preview: Seoul E-Land vs Changwon City

After nine long, painful months for Seoul E-Land, fans rejoiced after the Leopards finally claimed a win in the K League 2.  In a close game between Chungnam Asan, it was one goal which decided the tie. Focus for Seoul will now come away from the league, however, as Saturday welcomes FA Cup action to Jamsil.

The 2nd round of the FA Cup introduces K League 2 teams, into the fray. However, it will be K3 League side Changwon City who will make the long journey into the capital this weekend. The two sides both won their previous game the week prior, and they will both be looking to continue their good form.  Michael Redmond previews this one.

Last Time Out

Seoul E-Land made the trip down to the Yi Shun-shin Stadium on Sunday evening, in the hopes of getting their first win of the season. It took the Leopards no more than 90 seconds to make an impact, and they ran straight at Chungnam. On Seoul's fist attack, Bae Su-yong tackled Sukutu-Pasu in the box. After the referee went to VAR, he called for a spot-kick. Leandro did his famous 'walk-up' to the ball and slotted it into the back of the net.

The remainder of the game saw a bit of back and forth between Asan and Seoul, yet Seoul looked the most promising throughout the game. They had the most shots and created more chances than Asan. However, Asan did have a few spells throughout the game. Seoul defended well and kept the Leopards in the game. Seoul almost had a second penalty call on the stroke of halftime, it looked as if Jang Son-hyeok handled the ball in the area. After going to VAR, the referee decided against a penalty, good call. A nod to Kim Dong-gwon's efforts must be said in the game, to keep Asan at bay. In a game where the biggest talking point came in the first few moments, it will still be a game to savour for the Leopard's faithful.

Full Time: Chungnam Asan 0-1 Seoul E-Land



 For Changwon, last weekend saw them ease past Pyeongtaek Citizen 1-0. The goal came in the 40th minute from Jo Seok-jae. Changwon did play in the previous round of the FA Cup, round 1. The game was back in early May when they faced off against Pocheon Citizen. Pocheon drew first blood in the tie. After a lot of pressure, Cho Hyeong-gi struck the ball perfectly, and it went into the back of Changwon's net.  The equalizer came in the 66th minute when captain Shin Tae-han tapped the ball in. This was after the first initial shot was stopped.

The two sides could not find a winner in normal time, so they had to play 30 minutes more. It took the second half of extra time for a breakthrough. Changwon's Nu Woo-sung, who came on as a substitute met the low cross. The final nail in the coffin came, when the super sub again made it three, moments later. It took Changwon 120 minutes to get past Pocheon, but they booked their ticket to Seoul, regardless

Full Time: Pocheon Citizen 1-3 Changwon City

Team News

The boss, Chung Jung-yong reverted back to his tried and tested team on the weekend. With captain Kim Min-kyun back leading the side. Richard Sukutu-Pasu and Leandro were also featured. It is not clear on what his team will be on Saturday. Seoul in the past have always rested players in the FA Cup, and this has lead to some poor results. It may be a chance for the boss to now play the younger players, to now play the squad members who need more game time. We still have not seen what some players can do in a Seoul uniform. It will be interesting to see if the boss will rotate once again, after much backlash from the FC Anyang game.

Seoul E-Land manager Chung Jung-yong will have to decide if he will keep the same squad, or rotate the side against Changwon City in the FA Cup.

A noticeable formation change from Seoul on the weekend, saw a 4-1-2-3 formation, with Choi Jae-hyun playing in deep defence. The Korean had an exceptional game and really dropped back when asked. A noticeable absence from the squad was Won Ki-jong, he may feature in this fixture, depending on fitness. 

[READ: FA Cup Round 2 Preview]

The Adversary

Changwon City are currently playing in the newly re-tiered K3 League. The season prior, they were playing in the national league and finished in 8th position. Changwon have almost mirrored Seoul this season, as they got their first win of the season in the last round of games. Currently sitting in 9th, there has only been three games played in the league. So it would be too early to predict how they will get on this year.

Korean football fans will remember last year's FA Cup as being an underdog story for many teams in the lower divisons. Changwon were no exception to this rule. They made it all the way to the quarter finals in last years competition. This included knocking out K League 2 side, FC Anyang. They were eleminated by semi-finalists Sangju Sangmu. Changwon are an attacking team, in the last four games they have played (Including FA Cup) they have bagged seven goals. This is something Seoul has had an issue within recent weeks. Changwon have played fewer games than Seoul, and have had time to rest, with no midweek games for the side.

What To Watch

Noticeable players will be Jo Seok-jae, who has already scored two for the side this year. K League fans will remember him for having a lot of game time during the summer of 2018 for Daegu Fc. He will also be known for his time last year with Daejeon Korail. The player has been in a team which has made the final for two concessive seasons and may just be Changwon's good luck charm.

Another noticeable player will be No Woon-sung, who came off the bench in the last round to score two for Changwon. A player who looked to be used as an impact sub, his presence pushed Changwon over the line in the last round.

Prediction

Seoul will have the home-field advantage here. Even though this game will still be without fans, they do not have to make the long journey up to the capital like Changwon. Seoul really needs to get into gear now and start scoring some goals from open play. They have had some respectable results so far this year, but a good cup run would be the icing on the cake for the side.

Changwon will not lie down, however, as we saw them in the last round of the cup being punished in the first half. They managed to turn that around and win the game 3-1. They look like they are more attack than defence and with Seoul's finishing problems, this could be closer than some are lead to believe.

Seoul E-Land 2-1 Changwon City