Preview: Seoul E-Land Vs Chungnam Asan

After five straight games on the road, Seoul E-Land makes their return to Jamsil on Saturday afternoon. Round 19 of the 2020 K League 2 will see 5th place Seoul E-Land face off against 9th placed Chungnam Asan. Asan will look to stay off the bottom when they make the journey up to the capital. Seoul will try to shake off the dust from a poor showing against FC Anyang in the round prior. Michael Redmond previews this one here.

Last Time Out

It was the battle at the bottom last Saturday evening as Chungnam Asan welcomed Ansan Greeners to the Yi Sun-sin Stadium. It was the visitors who drew first blood in the game. A cross into Asan's box was met by Choi Geon-joo. A tap in past the keeper put the away side ahead. Ansan had a flurry of chances in the first half with most of them drifting wide.

Asan came back in the second half and equalized in the 65th minute. An excellent strike from Lee Jae-gun from way outside of the box. His shot beat Lee Hee-seong and drew the home team level. Both teams looked for the winning goal. However, both teams were denied by the keepers. The points were shared this time as Ansan now remain bottom of the league.

Full Time: Chungnam Asan 1-1 Ansan Greeners

Seoul E-Land had the duty of travelling down to Anyang on Sunday evening. A team that beat Seoul 2-0 the last time the two sides met. Seoul were looking for revenge. It all started so well for the Leopards. In the 23rd minute Park Yu-han failed to deal with the clearance. The ball bounced off Richard Sukutu-Pasu and went straight into the back of the net. Quite a lucky goal for Seoul in the grand scheme of things.  Seoul's keeper, Kim Hyung-geun was excellent again. He pulled off a super save from a free kick in the 34th minute against Anyang.

The second half was when it all fell apart for Seoul. Anyang's first came in the 53rd minute. Anyang crossed the ball into Seoul's box. Kim Jin-hwang failed to deal with the danger. Instead of heading it straight out. The ball was headed towards Hwang Mun-ki who shot first time. A disappointing display of defending from Seoul. The second came ten minutes later. Another cross into Seoul's box. Again it was Kim Jin-hwan who failed to clear the ball. Instead of standing firm and blasting the ball out of the park. Kim Jin-hwan attempted to flick the ball away with a back heel. He missed and the ball fell straight to Acosty who put Anyang head. Seoul tried to get back into the game. However, there was a sense of the Leopards were trying to walk the ball into the net. No one was taking any shots and the ball was danced around Anyang's defence.

Some excellent saves from Jeong Min-ki in the latter stages of the game kept Anyang ahead. It looked as if Seoul had a bit of failed communication between one another in this match. The play wasn't as fluid as we have seen in the past and layover runs were just not happening. Anyang won the game comfortably in the end. It makes you wonder if Seoul really wants to be in a playoff position with such a poor defensive display.

Full Time: FC Anyang 2-0 Seoul E-Land

Previous Meetings

This will be the third and final time of the year the two sides will meet. The first game ended in a 1-0 victory for Seoul E-Land. The two last met back in late July in the Seoul Olympic Stadium. The captain Kim Min-kyun started procedures with a goal in the 18th minute. A well-taken strike from the edge of the box put the Leopards ahead. It was after the goal that it all fell apart for Seoul. Just shy of the half-hour mark, Kim Jin-hwan knocked down Mujakic. A missed placed challenge put his body in front of the Austrian and he went down. After checking VAR, however, the referee decided against the penalty. Seven minutes later saw Lee Eun-bum blast the ball into Choi Jae-hun. Jae-hun had his hands up and the referee decided to give a penalty. VAR was used once again. Hellquist converted the penalty and Asan were back in the game. Won Ki-jong missed an open net in the 43rd minute with a header.

Chungnam Asan beat Seoul E-Land in round 12 of the 2020 K League 2

Injury time of the first half brought more heartbreak for Seoul fans. A crossed in ball was failed to be dealt with by three defensive Seoul players. Kim Chan nudged past Choi Jae-hun to slot the ball into the back of the net. The second half saw multiple chances from Seoul. Asan held strong in their defence. With Seoul pushing for an equalizer, they were left shallow at the back. Mujakic found himself one on one with Moon Jung-in at the 58th-minute mark. His shot hit the post. Seoul tried and tried again to get the equalizing goal. However, it was not to be and Asan left with all three points. A rather similarly frustrating game to the Anyang game in the round prior. This game was another one to forget for Seoul.

Full Time: Seoul E-Land 1-2 Chungnam Asan

Team News

Seoul welcomed back Sukuta-Pasu who was out for several games before the Anyang fixture. A returning goal for the forward will fill him with confidence. Leandro has failed to score in five-game now. However, it must be said that he sets up a lot of play in recent games. Leandro will get back to scoring ways very soon. Chung Jung-yong has used 3-5-2 for multiple games now. Seoul E-Land have a slight issue at the back. They keep making defensive errors. Errors that should be avoidable for the calibre of the players and the league. It normally is only one or two in a game. However, it is these mistakes which are costing Seoul the game.

Richard Sukutu-Pasu celebrates with Leandro as he puts Seoul E-Land ahead against FC Anyang.

There seemed to be many Seoul players up the top of the park on Sunday evening. A lot of players in and around the box, looking to score. The communication to drop back and leave particular balls was not there. The frustration between the forwards could be seen as there was some missing links between plays.  A bright point from the Anyang game once again comes in the form of Seoul's keeper. Kim Hyung-geun has been exceptional for Seoul this year and he has truly held his own between the sticks. We will find out on the weekend if the boss will stick with this formation, or twist against another team lower down the league table.

The Adversary

It has not been a great year for Chungnam Asan to say the least. The side has only 15 points and are stuck 9th in the table. With only three wins this year, the side are desperate for more wins. In saying that, Their wins did come against Gyeongnam, Seoul, and Bucheon. Asan are still without Lee Sang-min for a couple of games. It is their defence which also lets this side down. They have conceded 28 goals this year, the worst in the league. Their top goalscorer is Helliquist with four. One of them was against E-Land. Chungnam have won one and drawn one in the last two games. If Chungnam can get points off Seoul, then a late push up the table may be on the cards.  

Prediction

A tough one to call. Seoul got a smash and grab against Ansan two weeks ago and they imploded last week. It is the right time for Asan to face the Leopards this Saturday. Seoul are battling with Gyeongnam and Jeonnam for the 4th spot. The two sides dropped points on the weekend which is lucky for Seoul. Seoul need to sort out the communication between players. They also need to get the ball out of dangerous situations better. In saying that, Asan are the worse defensive team in the league and Leandro is well overdue a goal. I can not see this one ending in a stalemate this Saturday. It may come down to which team makes the least amount of defensive errors.