Preview: Bucheon FC 1995 vs Chungnam Asan

This K League 2 Round 26 match on Saturday is the only match this weekend without a playoff contender, but that does not mean that there is nothing to play for. Eighth placed hosts Bucheon FC 1995 only need a point to officially avoid the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, a win for 10th placed Chungnam Asan could see them rise to ninth if results go their way.

Last Time Out

Bucheon FC 1995 3-4 Gyeongnam

Bucheon scored three goals in a match for the first time this season, but their 3-1 lead was undone by an embarrassing collapse in the final few minutes of the match. Gyeongnam went in front inside 15 minutes, when Ko Kyung-min's right-wing cross found an unmarked Jung Hyuk in a perfect position to head into the net. Bucheon levelled in the 34th minute when Jo Geon-gyu scored his first ever professional goal from a Kim Young-nam assist, finishing off a brilliant passing move that is surely a goal of the season contender. Bucheon then took the lead in the 44th minute after Guk Tae-jeong finished from close-range, pouncing on a loose ball from a goalkeeper's save. Bucheon then started the second half in fine form, registering their third goal in the 47th minute as Jo Geon-gyu collected the ball from a Kim Young-chan header, went on a solo run and then fired the ball from 30 yards in off the crossbar. In doing so Jo became only the third Bucheon player to score a brace this season. He would have become Bucheon's first hat-trick scorer this season seven minutes later, but it was disallowed for an offside in the build-up

Bucheon will no doubt rue that decision as it allowed Gyeongnam a chance to get back into the game. Attacks from the away side increased and in the 86th minute they pulled one back due to Ko Kyung-min brilliantly flicking up Hwang Il-su's pass and volleying from the edge of the penalty area. Gyeongnam sensed blood and the tide was turned once Bucheon goalie Choi Bong-jin gave away a cheap penalty by colliding with an attacker in the air. Baek sung-dong put it away into the bottom corner and the hunt for a winner began. It came in the fourth minute of added time, when a Negueba cross found defender Choi Jun, who poked home to secure the three points for Gyeongnam. Bucheon had a last minute penalty claim go to VAR but it was not given. Bucheon are now level on points with seventh placed Anyang, while Gyeongnam remain two points behind third placed Seoul E-land.

Highlights of the match can be viewed here. 

Chungnam Asan 0-2 Anyang

Anyang overtook Bucheon on goals scored after defeating the league's bottom side Chungnam Asan. Anyang took the lead in the 21st minute when Yu Jong-hyun rose highest to meet a Park Yo-han cross and sending it low and hard into the ground and in off the crossbar. Yu would not remain on the pitch for the whole match though, as he was sent off in the 62nd minute due to a bad tackle. This would not effect Anyang too negatively, however, as ex-Bucheon player Nilson Junior would score a penalty in the 84th minute for Anyang after a teammate was pulled down in the penalty area. Chungnam Asan are now three points adrift at the bottom, though could reach as high as seventh if results go their way in these last two rounds of matches.

Highlights of the match can be viewed here. 

Previous Meetings

Chungnam Asan have won this fixture 17 times, more than double Bucheon's eight wins, and there have been eight draws. Three-quarters of Asan's wins have been away from home, which could give them a bit of an edge on Saturday. This year both of the away sides have won the fixture. Bucheon claimed the three points on the opening day of the season with a 1-0 win due to William Barbio's injury time penalty. When it was Asan's turn to travel to Bucheon, Asan came away as the victors with a 2-0 win, thanks to a Gam Han-sol own goal and a second-half Bruno strike.

Team News

Captain Kim Young-nam has been suspended for one match for reaching five yellow cards this season. Five other players are one yellow card away from suspension: Choi Bong-jin; Kim Young-chan; Guk Tae-jeong; Lee Hyun-il; Jo Geon-gyu. Considering that Bucheon had a successful attack last weekend and are coming up against a much weaker attack in the form of Chungnam Asan, the manager might opt to field a largely unchanged starting lineup, meaning that most of those five players will feature. A yellow card would mean they miss the final game against Ansan Greeners, but that match will be less important if Bucheon can avoid defeat this Saturday and confirm that they will not finish in 10th place.

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The Adversary

Philip Hellquist returned to the starting eleven last weekend after spending some time away due to injury. Armin Mujakic has been out of the squad for he last four matches and it is unclear if be will be fit to play on Saturday. As the are two of the club's joint top scorers this season with four goals each alongside Lee Jae-gun, their inclusion is important if they want to win. Asan have lost their last three matches and have not scored in any of them, so a full strength attack would be a huge positive for them as they need to win at least one of their final two games to avoid finishing bottom of the table. Four Asan players are one yellow card away from suspension: Kim Chan: Kim Jong-kook; Jang Soon-hyeok; Jeon Da-hwon. 

Who To Watch

Have Bucheon finally found a striker in the form of 22 year-old Kim Geon-gyu? Kim joined Bucheon in 2019 and made five appearances last season. He failed to score, but clearly he made an impression as he was kept at the club and has seen his appearances this season increase to 10 matches. He has been used largely in rotation with Bucheon's main attacking options of William Barbio, Lee Hyun-il, and the now released Jefferson Baiano, but last weekend everything clicked and he finally scored his first goals of the season. 

It is unclear if that was just a one-off performance, so if he plays on Saturday a positive attacking display could see him become a part of the manager's first team plans for next season. Bucheon currently have the second worst goals scored tally in the league with 19, currently less than their two top scorers last season (Marlon and Nilson Junior) who scored 20 combined. The attack is what Bucheon will need to strengthen for next season, and it will be a lot cheaper if part of their solution is already at the club.

Prediction

Bucheon finally looked a threat going forward last weekend, only to come undone against one of the best forward lines in the league. Asan are on a poor run of form and are struggling for goals, but have beaten Bucheon already this season. As the only fixture this weekend without a team fighting for the playoffs, this match appears to be a dead rubber. But with players looking to fight for a place next season and the teams aiming to finish as high as possible in the league, this match could be a surprisingly entertaining encounter, but one that Bucheon should triumph in.

Bucheon FC 1995 2-1 Chungnam Asan