Preview: Seoul E-Land vs Daejeon Hana Citizen

After a successful Round 2 in the 2020 FA Cup for both teams, Seoul E-Land and Daejeon Hana Citizen finally face-off, in what will be a very interesting encounter. The two sides have had a massive revamp to their squads in the offseason, and this fixture has been anticipated from both sets of fans. 

Although it is too early to look at the 2020 K League 2 table, the two teams are only separated by five points. Daejeon are still undefeated, and Seoul have only lost one game. Our Seoul E-Land columnist Michael Redmond previews this one, in what could turn out to be 'The Battle of Jamsil'.    

Last Time Out

Daejeon Hana Citizen welcomed K3 side, Chuncheon FC to the Daejeon World Cup Stadium on Saturday evening. Daejeon took control of the game from the beginning and kept applying pressure to Chuncheon. It took the Citizens only 26 minutes to break the deadlock, as Park Yong-ji opened the scoring. Deajeon kept pushing for a second goal in the first half, but Chuncheon held on.

When the teams came out for the second half, Daejeon picked up, where they left off. A nice little partnership between Park Yong-ji and André saw the Brazilian slot home the second goal. Daejeon were playing a very fluid, passing game. Their third and final goal came in the 75th minute when Kim Seung-sub rocketed a shot from inside the box, a crisp bullet from the number 11, after beating the Chuncheon defence. It was very nicely taken. Daejeon eased past the K3 side and will face Ansan Greeners in the third round. A team they have already beaten this year in the league.

Full Time: Daejeon Hana Citizen 3-0 Chuncheon FC

Seoul Olympic Stadium also hosted Saturday evening FA Cup action. As Seoul E-Land welcomed Changwon FC to Jamsil. The boss, Chung Jung-yong kept a relatively strong team for the side, and also brought in Serbian, Lazar Arsić into the mix. The first talking point of the game came in the first half when Changwon were reduced to ten men. A second yellow was shown, after a clumsy tackle with Lazar. 

The game was not exactly a classic, by any stretch of the imagination, and it did look as if we were gearing up to extra time. However, the Serbian popped up with a moment of magic. Lazar controlled the ball perfectly, from inside the area, and eased the ball past the keeper. The ball was in the back of the net before the keeper could even react. The A goal with great vision, Lazar read the game and took the shot perfectly. Changwon never looked really dangerous in any way throughout the game, and it was a game both teams can probably look past, and try to forget.

Full Time: Seoul E-Land 1-0 Changwon City 

Previous Meetings

We have to go all the way back to October to recollect when these two last faced one another. Back when Seoul were still calling Cheonnan their home. The game was eventful, to say the least, with an early red card in the tie. Daejeon captain An Sang-hyun was shown a second yellow, just under the 40-minute mark. Seoul were holding on to the game, until injury time in the first half. Antonio then took up upon himself to dance around the E-Land defence and smash the ball into the back of the net. Seoul were 1-0 in what was practically, the last kick of the first half.

The two sides look completely different, from how they lined up, back in March 2019

Seoul got back into the game however after the 50th-minute mark, as Won Ki-jong headed the ball into the back of Deajeon's net. In what was a great ten minutes for the leopards, they took the lead in the 58th minute. Kwon Gi-pyo, who is now at FC Anyang, headed the ball, the second header of the game, to give Seoul the lead.  Daejeon fought back, however, and Antonio again scored in 65th minute. An excellent bit of play lead to the equalizer. Daejeon could have had all three points in the tie, as VAR awarded them a penalty in the dying moments of the game. Up stepped Antonio, for his hattrick. He took the shot and is almost broke the crossbar in half, Seoul were saved.

2019 saw a record of three draws, and one Daejeon win between the two sides. Seoul will really need to be on their top game if they are to get any sort of revenge on Saturday.   

Team News

Seoul E-Land fans finally got to see all three of their foreign talents start on Saturday. In what would be regarded as, still a strong E-Land team. The FA Cup being played on a Saturday has definitely benefitted the K League 2 clubs, as they have more of a rest period between games. There was the absence of Kim Mink-kyun in the side, captain for the evening was Seo Jae-min. Seoul really have been improving defensively throughout the season. The partnership at the back has definitely turned a few heads in the league. Once again, Kim Dong-gwon had an exceptional game and is really helping lead the backline for Seoul.

Kim Hyun-geun was rested in this fixture, as Moon Jung-in was between the sticks. You could tell that the team were still getting used to gelling with one another on the pitch as the game was a bit lethargic in periods. However, you can see that the team this year, are prepared, and there is more of a desire to win games, than what we saw in 2019. Chung Jung-yong will know that this is a big game on Saturday. Daejeon have been coming out of the blocks flying this year, and are still undefeated. Some decisions have favoured them throughout 2020, but this should not deter the Leopards. Seoul will need to keep a solid defence and rely on Leandro's pace to push the ball up the pitch.   

The Adversary

Daejeon Citizen are so far, playing how everyone predicted. They still have yet to lose this year and are pushing forward as favourites to be promoted. For team news, they are still without Connor Chapman for the game against Seoul. The Australian defender is still recovering from an injury and is eager to play in the squad. Baio could return, but that is not set in stone, as of now. Koo Bon-sang made his return in the 3-0 win in the FA Cup on the weekend, and will likely feature.

There is also doubt over the keeper, Kim Dong-jun. the keeper suffered an arm injury, and will probably be sidelined in the fixture. It looks as if Daejeon are still not firing from all cylinders, giving the number of players they have had injured. It will be interesting to see how they play when they have a fully fit squad.

What To Watch

André Luis is the inform man at the moment, and joint top in the race for the golden boot, with six goals in five games. The Brazilian has been excellent for the Citizens so far and has over half of their goals so far this season. a big, strong forward. André Luis has really given Daejeon fans hope, that they can do something special this year. Brought in from Corinthians, the Brazilian was plying his trade last year at Fortazela, in the Brazilian Serie A league. He is currently on loan at Daejeon, but based on performance so far, they will be eager to keep him. He has quickly adapted to the style of play in Korea, and strikes fear into many teams defences.

The Daejeon frontman has scored six of the Citizen's ten goals so far this season.

André Luis will more than likely be up there by the end of the season, chasing that golden boot. He is not going to let Seoul E-Land get in the way of that. He is really coming across as a natural goal scorer, and also being the spot-kick man for the Violets. He will definitely be hitting double figures, sooner, rather than later.   

Prediction

Seoul have a big ask on Saturday. They want to prove to the K League 2, that they belong to up there, come November. Daejeon however, are the team to beat at the moment. Bucheon, and Suwon, all showed great football since March, but it has been Daejeon that has been cutting the mustard. This game could be pivotal for Seoul for the remainder of the season. Pick up a win here, and they will be more than likely in the playoff position, come the end of the round. Daejeon are not going to lie down, however, and they are looking to steamroll every team insight. They are adamant to get promoted, and they really are not taking any prisoners in their gameplay.

The two sides have made the most changes in the league, and look a completely different outfit from their 2019 selves. However, every time these two sides meet there are fireworks. This could be the pick of the weekend for the neutral supporters if both teams turn up, and show their potential.

Seoul E-Land 2-2 Daejeon Hana Citizen