Owls and Reds Set to Clash in Asan

Chungnam Asan will look to pick up their second win of the season when visiting Gyeongnam FC come to town on Saturday afternoon, looking to set things right after losing last time out in the league.  The Reds were held scoreless at home against Seoul E-Land and are currently bottom of the table on goal difference.  Both clubs came away winners in the second round of the FA Cup and will be looking to build on that momentum.  KLU's Branko Belan previews the fixture.

 

Match: Chungnam Asan vs Gyeongnam FC

Venue: Yi Sun-shin Stadium

Kickoff: Saturday, April 3rd, 2020; 13:30 KST 

Recent Form

Chungnam Asan Looking to Build on Cup Success

Chungnam Asan won 3-1 in the second round of the FA Cup against Goyang Citizen and will look to bounce back in league play after falling by a single goal to Ansan Greeners after they were reduced to ten men following the sending off of Lee Sang-min.  Alex Sandro looks to be making strides for his new club as he was the first on the scoresheet against Goyang, while Kim Won-seok and Kim Chan also scored.  It's still very early in the season, but Park Dong-hyuk will want to solidify his charges as the season moves into the summer months.

Reds Slow Out of the Gates

Gyeongnam was only able to manage a goalless draw at home against Seoul E-Land last time out in the league and currently sit bottom of a very congested table.  Tipped as favorites for promotion this season, Seol Ki-hyun's men have started slowly out of the gates, and know they cannot take their opposition lightly, considering Asan got their first ever win in the division against them last summer.  

Despite having the majority of the possession against the Leopards to go with three shots on target, they couldn't make their chances count and have registered just three goals in their opening four matches this season.

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Team News

Chungnam Asan

It was recently announced that Lee Jae-gun had his contract terminated due to a DUI charge.  In other team-related news, there was quite a bit of rotation for last weekend's cup tie, as Ryohei Michibuchi, Park Min-seo, Choi Kyu-baek, and Yoo Jun-soo were rested, while Alex Sandro, Kim Won-seok, and Kim Chan carried the load for the Owls, as all three carried the offense.

This may leave Park Dong-hyuk with some decisions to make regarding his starting eleven this weekend, but one thing is for sure - Lee Sang-min is unavailable through a card suspension.

Park Dong-hyuk will be hoping for better fortune on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls' manager reflected on facing Gyeongnam this weekend:

"Gyeongnam is a strong team, but we beat Busan IPark 4-0.  The entire province will unite and prepare for the match together.  I want to keep a good atmosphere around the club and give a home victory to the fans," he said.

Gyeongnam FC

Off-season signing from Gwangju FC, Lim Min-hyeok is fit and is expected to be in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon.  Yun Ju-tae, who arrived from FC Seoul, played in the second round cup tie against Daejeon Korail and could also find his name in the starting eleven.  

In a concerning development, Willyan has been at odds with Seol Ki-hyun recently, showing his displeasure at being substituted against Seoul E-Land after which he proceeded to storm down the tunnel and was completely left out of the squad for the cup match last weekend.  Considered to be an essential signing for their promotion push when he came on board, this saga will be monitored further in the coming weeks.

Lee Jeong-hyeop traveled with the national team to Japan and will miss the match for quarantine purposes.

There are no suspensions and the rest of the squad is fit, thus, the Reds will field their strongest eleven possible, knowing a win puts them right into the top half, providing results elsewhere go their way as well.

What to Watch

Which two sides will step on the field?

Asan have had mixed results so far this season with the 4-0 victory over Busan IPark being their signature moment to date.  Their last time out in the league was not nearly as memorable as they fell to Ansan Greeners.  However, with the win against Goyang in the FA Cup, it is the first time in a while that the Owls have won back to back matches at home across all competitions and they will be looking to make it two league wins in a row on their home patch.  That should be motivation enough for them to go out and chase a result.

Gyeongnam on the other hand really haven't looked the part with just four points from their first four matches.  Will this be the weekend when they finally break out of their slump and begin to find the net with a bit more intensity?  Their schedule certainly looks favorable for the month of April, with an away trip to Daejeon Hana Citizen, followed by home dates with Busan IPark and Bucheon FC 1995, with their third round FA Cup tie nestled into the calendar on the 14th.

It will be a good opportunity for them to see the kind of quality that lies within the squad and give Seol a chance to assess his options, but of course, there is the matter of the upcoming fixture to take care of first.

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Who to Watch

Baek Sung-dong - Gyeongnam FC

Baek Sung-dong will be the focal point of the attack for Gyeongnam on Saturday afternoon.

The situation with Willyan has been escalating since the incident which saw him leave the pitch in frustration after he was substituted against Seoul E-Land, so Baek Sung-dong will have to establish himself again as the main goal threat.  His only goal of the season thus far came in a 2-1 opening weekend loss against FC Anyang.

The 29 year old right winger registered nine goals and two assists in 24 appearances in 2020 and will have to put up similar numbers if the Reds do not see their off-season signing from Gwangju play a significant role in the coming weeks.  It may take Lee Jeong-hyeop a bit of time to tailor into Seol's system of play, so Baek's role will be more pronounced as he is one of the most trusted players at the club and was a consistent performer last season.