Bottom versus top as Bucheon travel to Anyang

The first midweek K League 2 games of the season are here and a local derby is one of the picks of the round. Last placed visitors Bucheon FC 1995 need a win to have any hope of seriously reducing the gap to ninth place. Meanwhile first place hosts FC Anyang are on an outstanding run of form and could potentially stretch their lead at the top of the table up to three points. 

Recent Form

Bucheon have now lost five consecutive league games and are five points adrift at the foot of the table. They have failed to score in any of those five matches and have scored five goals fewer than the next two weakest attacks - Jeonnam Dragons and Ansan Greeners. The run started with two away defeats, the first a 4-0 drubbing at Seoul E-Land followed by a 1-0 loss at Gimcheon Sangmu. A second consecutive 1-0 defeat came at home to Ansan Greeners, and Bucheon's return to the road ended in losing 3-0 at Gyeongnam. Their most recent defeat was at home last Sunday, where Busan grabbed the three points with a 2-0 win. They gave not looked too terrible and they have come close to scoring on several occasions, but if the club cannot sort out their attacking difficulties then this could end up being the worst season in their history.

After a mixed start to the season Anyang have hit a superb run of form that has seen them rocket to the top of the table, a position that very few people at the beginning of the season predicted them ever occupying. They have won their last five matches in all competitions, a run which included knocking K League 1 side Incheon United out of the FA Cup with a 3-0 away victory. Prior to that they defeated Busan IPark 2-1 at home, and then after the FA Cup match Anyang had two consecutive 2-1 victories. The first of those was a home triumph over fellow surprise package this season Chungnam Asan, which was followed up with an away win at early season league leaders Seoul E-Land. Their first league clean-sheet in this winning run came at the weekend, as a late penalty saw them emerge as 1-0 away victor's over the strong defence of Jeonnam Dragons. 

Anyang are proving that they are not just lucky, but are able to consistently beat their promotion rivals. Given Bucheon's poor form this season, it seems highly unlikely that Anyang will come unstuck against a team that have scored only three goals in the league this season. Last season both teams struggled in the league and this was reflected in the results between the two sides being equally split between a draw and a win for either club. However, based on how this season is currently panning out it is hard to see Bucheon getting any positive results in the 'Phoenix Derby' this season. 

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What to Watch

Bucheon kept their usual 3-4-3 formation for the defeat to Busan but several lineup changes showed the beginnings of an openness to experimentation. 22 year old goalkeeper Lee Ju-hyeon made his league debut and aside from some wayward distribution he looked comfortable at the back, producing some fine saves as well as avoiding any careless mistakes with simple balls. He could easily feature in the starting eleven a lot more this season. 

Bucheon started Han Ji-ho against his former club Busan, but not in his usual left-wing position. Instead he started up front in the middle of the park. He has never been prolific in his career but his passing ability clearly remains. Han is probably unsuited as a striker but if the manager finally does decide to switch up the formation he could probably find a new lease of life as an attacking midfielder, playing centrally just behind the forwards. He could play a big part in constructing attacks, without the club having to rely on his finishing. The thing to watch is whether Bucheon will revert back to it's old lineup up or will they have used what they learnt from Sunday's game to continue to experiment on Wednesday. 

Who to Watch

Former Bucheon player Nilson Junior has missed two games this season, but still is among the top five Anyang players with the most minutes played this year, as well as being the club's most played foreigner in terms of minutes. In the seven matches he has appeared in the 32 year old Brazilian defender as played the full 90 minutes, proving himself to be an indispensable part of the defence and one of the best foreign players in K League 2 history.

With the exception of the first half of 2016 Nilson has spent his whole career since 2014 in South Korea, spending three years apiece at Busan IPark and Bucheon before joining Anyang last year. With 102 matches he is the most capped foreign player in Bucheon's history and with the decline the team experienced since he left at the end of 2019, many fans would have wished he remained. 

The same defensive and attacking abilities that make him so missed at Bucheon are what make him such a daunting opponent while in the purple of Anyang. He is one of the most consistent defenders in the league and with Bucheon's current attacking struggles, they will probably fail to break down Anyang's defence with Nilson in the side.