Asan Facing Stiff Home Test Against Gimcheon Sangmu

Chungnam Asan came out on the short end of proceedings last weekend against FC Anyang and will look to get back to winning ways when they host Gimcheon Sangmu this coming Sunday afternoon.  Considered by many as favorites for promotion this season, things have not gone exactly as planned for Sangmu as they were undone last weekend by a Kim Hyun-wook double and the sending off of Lee Myung-jae in the latter stages of the first half against Jeonnam Dragons.  Who will come out on top when the sides go head to head?  KLU's Branko Belan looks ahead to the encounter.

Match: Chungnam Asan vs Gimcheon Sangmu

Venue: Yi Sun Shin Stadium

Kickoff: Sunday April 25th, 2021; 13:30 KST

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Owls' Wings Clipped by the Violets

After four wins on the spin, including a pair of FA Cup successes, Asan could not get the job done last weekend against FC Anyang.  The match statistics were almost identical for both sides, but Anyang were one better where it mattered most - on the scoreboard, as goals from Hong Chang-beom and Baek Dong-gyu, who is on loan this season from Jeju United were enough to get them over the line at the final whistle.  Yoo Jun-su added a late consolation for Asan.

Ryohei Michibuchi challenges for the ball with FC Anyang's Baek Dong-gyu.

The gap between Sunday afternoon's combatants is just three points.  Asan would love to increase that advantage with a win, but need to avoid the mistakes which cost them points last time out.

Gimcheon Slow Out of the Gates

With just two victories in the first seven rounds, things haven't exactly clicked for Kim Tae-wan's men thus far this season.  Things didn't go particularly swimmingly last weekend against Jeonnam, either, as they played the final minutes of the first half and the entire second half a man down after the sending off of Lee Myung-jae.  That was enough of a window for the Dragons to seize all three points from the fixture.

Jeong Seung-hyun scored a late consolation goal against Jeonnam last week.

Gimcheon have only scored six goals as a team this season, which is quite a surprise considering the talent in the squad.  There is a plethora of options throughout the squad with the likes of Gu Sung-yun and Lee Chang-keun between the sticks, Ha Chang-rae and Jeong Seung-hyun in defense, Jeon Se-jin and a host of others in midfield, and the likes of Oh Se-hun and Cho Kyu-sung in attack.  It's a curiosity that it's taken them such a long time to gel, but when they finally do, the rest of the second division will have to take notice.  Will this weekend be the start of a turnaround?

[READ: 2021 K League 2 Round 8 Preview]

Team News

Chungnam Asan

Asan had their good run of form snapped last weekend and will be looking to bounce back.  There has not been an update on the situation regarding Ryohei Michibuchi in recent days; he is still listed as a member of the club and is likely to be in the starting eleven on the weekend.  There is a possibility that the club has scaled back its intention to release the player as there could be serious legal ramifications resulting from such a move considering the signing fee to bring him in.  In any case, it is a public relations nightmare they can ill afford.

Matheus Alves has played more recently and could see action again this weekend.  Alex Sandro missed some match time due to personal reasons but he too could return to face Gimcheon.  There are no suspensions in the side and no major injuries have been reported.

Gimcheon Sangmu

As previously mentioned, Lee Myung-jae is out due to suspension and will miss the next two matches.  Moon Seon-min, Kwon Kyung-won, and Park Yong-woo have all been injured since the beginning of the season and are unlikely to play for the club before returning to K League 1 this summer.  Moon was supposed to be fit by now, but his conditioning has been a concern and is a major reason for his exclusion from the lineup.

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What to Watch

A First Meeting Between Two Former Military Clubs

Up until last season, Asan was known as Mugunghwa and was the military club in the second division.  Last season was their first as a citizen club.  Gimcheon, meanwhile, was based in Sangju until the end of last season and relocated to Gimcheon for the 2021 campaign.  There will be no more intakes according to the old system and they will be eligible for promotion this year.

The last time Sangmu was a second division club, the police club was based in Ansan, so this clash has the potential to be a good one if both sides begin the match on the front foot.  Asan would love to pick up points and Gimcheon will feel as though they have a lot to prove considering their sluggish start so far, so the chance of both teams going for it from the first whistle could be in the offing.

Who to Watch

Oh Hyeon-gyu - Gimcheon Sangmu

Will Oh Hyeon-gyu get on the scoresheet again as he did against Daejeon earlier this season?

The 20 year old center forward is on loan to the club from Suwon Samsung Bluewings until the end of the season.  He has played on a fairly regular basis and could be a factor on Sunday afternoon.  He has one goal to his credit so far this year against Daejeon Hana Citizen in the team's first win of the season on the third matchday.

He also assisted the only goal in Sangmu's win over Bucheon, so if he gets the opportunity to play and manages at least a goal or an assist, it could be a good omen for Gimcheon to take the points this weekend.