Preview: Gimcheon Sangmu vs Busan IPark

Gimcheon Sangmu host Busan IPark on Wednesday afternoon, with both of last year's relegated K League 1 teams in the bottom half of the table after mixed starts to the season. The Soldiers are looking to bounce back from a late collapse at the weekend, while the Busan Royals attempt to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this year.

Match Overview

Gimcheon Sangmu (8th) vs Busan IPark (6th) 

K League 2, Round 10 

Wednesday, 5th May - 13:30 KST

Recent Form

Busan IPark picked up their first clean sheet of the season on Sunday, with goals from Park Jeong-in and An Byong-jun securing victory over bottom side Bucheon 1995. Although still far from consistent, Busan have looked a far more cohesive unit since switching formations to a 3-4-3 three weeks ago. They have won two of their last three games, and were perhaps unlucky to lose against Jeonnam two weeks back, when a red card for Lee Rae-jun swung the game in the Dragons’ favour. 

Gimcheon Sangmu, meanwhile, have rarely hit the heights many expected of them at the start of the season. Despite having a star-studded squad and one of Korea’s most highly rated managers in Kim Tae-wan, Gimcheon have only won three of their nine games so far this season. At the weekend they took the lead through Moon Chang-jin, only to fall to a second half comeback from Gyeongnam FC, who turned the game on its head and inflicted Gimcheon’s fourth defeat of the year.

[READ: FA WSL Korean Derby Preview]

Team News

Busan coach Ricardo Peres is likely to recall midfielder Kim Jeong-hyun and right back Choi Jun after both came off the bench last time out. Goalkeeper Ahn Joon-soo may keep his place after a solid showing, but Valentinos Sielis is a doubt after going off injured on Sunday. Kim Dong-woo could deputise in defence in his place, but Busan will be without injured captains Kang Min-soo and Park Jong-woo, along with suspended midfielder Lee Rae-jun. 

For Gimcheon, key midfielder Park Yong-woo could make his first start of the season after recovering from injury to appear as a substitute in the previous two games. Striker Oh Se-hun is unlikely to be available after missing the last four games, while star defender Kwon Kyung-won is yet to recover from a long-term injury.

What to Watch

A Battle of Wing Backs 

Park Min-gyu (right), has been in impressive form for Busan.

Both managers have been playing a back three in recent weeks, with wing backs marauding down the flanks to assist in both attacking and defensive duties. Gimcheon arguably have two of the best wing backs in the division in their lineup, with captain Sim Sang-min roaming the left flank and An Tae-hyun on the right. Busan, meanwhile, have Korean youth international Choi Jun on the right, and on-loan Park Min-gyu on the left. Park, especially, has been a model of consistency on the left, his assist for An Byong-jun on Sunday a real moment of class. 

Assuming both teams stick to their recent formations, the clash of wing backs will be intriguing to watch on Wednesday. If the Gimcheon wing backs find space in behind the Busan midfield line, they will fancy their chances against a Busan back three that, while robust, is sorely lacking in pace. Park Min-gyu and Choi Jun may well rein in their attacking instincts, then, and instead focus on keeping their opposite numbers at arm’s length. 

If the Busan wing backs find chances to roam, however, Busan may overrun their opponents in the final third. Busan’s forward line, led by An Byong-jun and Park Jeong-in, excels when linking up with the marauding full backs and runners from midfield. In the end, the result of Wednesday’s game may depend on which set of wing backs shows the most attacking ambition.

Who to Watch

Oh Hyeon-gyu

Oh Hyeon-gyu (left) will be looking for his third goal of the season on Wednesday.

Gimcheon Sangmu may have two of Korea’s most promising young strikers in their ranks in the form of Cho Gue-sung and Oh Se-hun, but neither has managed to find the back of the net so far this season. Instead, Gimcheon’s star attacker has been a lesser-known forward on loan from Suwon Bluewings, Oh Hyeon-gyu. 

Oh, who only turned 20 last month, has two goals and two assists in eight appearances so far this year, building on his impressive impact at the back end of last season, when he scored two goals in five appearances. For Gimcheon, he currently averages a goal involvement every 116 minutes. 

In Sunday’s loss to Gyeongnam, Oh’s assist for Moon Chang-jin was outstanding, the striker showing excellent strength and pace to beat his man before delivering a perfect ball across the box to his teammate. Although not the tallest, Oh is a stocky unit with a poacher’s instincts, and he is quickly becoming a vital part of this stuttering Gimcheon side. While Gimcheon’s bigger name players continue to draw blanks, Busan will need to be wary of the young striker on Wednesday, and national team coaches are sure to be keeping a close eye on his progress too.