Can Busan IPark maintain their strong form against bottom side Bucheon?

Busan IPark hosts Bucheon FC 1995 this Saturday at Gudeok Stadium. Busan achieved three points in their first match of the season against Bucheon, through Park Jeong-in's shot and Ahn Byung-jun's header. On the other hand, Bucheon is trying to reverse a bad run of form, as they aim for their second win of the season. New KLU Busan IPark columnist Lee Dowon previews this K League 2 clash.

Match: Busan IPark (3rd) vs. Bucheon FC 1995 (10th)

Round: Hana Bank K League 2, Round 13

Venue: Gudeok Stadium, Busan

Kick off: Saturday 29th May 2021, 16:00 KST

Where to Watch: International supporters can watch via the K League's online OTT platform, K League TV, where live coverage will be available free of charge.

Recent Form

Busan went up to 3rd place in the league after a win against the league leaders Jeonnam Dragons, through Park Jeong-in’s header and Ahn Byung-jun’s lucky free-kick. IPark's team spirit is high, with the Royals winning two of their past three games.

[READ: Busan fight back to beat high-flying Jeonnam]

 

 

With the good performance of the league’s leading scorer Ahn Byung-jun (7 goals in 12 games) and youngster Park Jeong-in (3 in 11), IPark’s progress in attack is getting better game by game, but anxiety in defence is still the biggest concern of Busan IPark, with one clean sheet in their last 12 games.

Former Suwon FC striker Anh Byong-jun has maintained his goalscoring form of 2020

Head coach Ricardo Peres gave his evaluation about the current performance of the team before the game against Jeonnam Dragons. He noted that the team still had room to improve before they could fulfil their potential:

“Before the last game, it was 50%. Now it's a little bit more. But we have a long way to go. We have to work a lot to develop this game model and game mentality. But the team is responding according to expectations and we're growing up.”

[WATCH: KLU speaks to Ricardo Peres about Veganism and Spirituality]

Meanwhile, Bucheon lost six games in a row before they stood up against Gimcheon and Seoul ELand. The team’s spirit has improved, as they secured two points in their last four games. But in the last game, they lost 4-1 away at Daejeon Hana Citizen. Bucheon’s performance was not good enough to change the atmosphere in the locker room.

Bucheon’s weakness is scoring goals. Bucheon have only scored five goals in 13 games, with just two coming in their last eight matches. Three of these came from one player, Park Chang-jun. However, there are signs of hope for Bucheon FC 1995. The attitude of Brazilian striker Krislan in Bucheon’s last game against Daejeon Hana Citizen was good, whilst Busan’s former franchise star Han Ji-ho put in a good performance against his former club in round 10.

 

Team News

Busan IPark:

One of Busan IPark’s captains Park Jong-woo can’t feature until mid July, whilst their other captain Kang Min-soo has recovered from injury, but he is still training to regain his full fitness. Meanwhile, Cypriot defender Valentinos Selies is recovering from a rib injury, and is expected to come back in approximately mid June.

Lee Tae-min, Cho Hye-Seong and Heo Seung-chan have been attending the KFA Presidential High School tournament in recent days, representing Busan IPark’s youth team Gaesung High School. The three young players are on a semi-pro contract, and have been unavailable for selection during the tournament. In the quarterfinal on May 24th, they lost 3-1 to Jeonbuk Hyundai’s youth team, Jeonju Yeongsaeng High School. These three players are now available to feature against Bucheon, with Lee most likely to be introduced off the bench.

Predicted Line-up:

Bucheon FC 1995:

Bucheon are without the services of goalkeeper Moon Kwang-seok, who remains suspended by the club after allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. Otherwise, the side has no fresh injury concerns or suspensions for the upcoming match. Dangerman Park Chang-jun is fit and will carry the majority of the away side's attacking threat.

Predicted Line-up:

 

 

Who to Watch

Choi Jun

After the departure of franchise star Kim Moon-hwan, fans of Busan IPark were worried about the gap the Korean international would leave, but a youngster from Ulsan Hyundai - Choi Jun - has completely filled this position. Although Choi’s play style is more direct than Kim’s, some fans in the community have been so impressed that they have even called him ‘Alexander-Arnold in K League 2’. As this nickname suggests, Choi Jun has been on fire in recent games.

Choi is an early candidate for IPark's Player of the Season

With his powerful and accurate crosses from the right side of the pitch, Choi made two assists in the game against Daejeon. Even though Choi struggled during the game against Jeonnam, he can show his talent in this game against Bucheon.

Fullbacks are very important in Peres’s tactics and in modern football. In Busan’s system, every fullback pushes up to the goal line of each wing, playing like a wing forward in every game. And this tactic is a perfect match for Choi Jun. Before he joined Yonsei University, his main position was on the left wing, so he is used to playing in this position. This is similar to the history of Kim Moon-hwan, whose main position was on the right wing before shifting to right back at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games.

 

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