Preview: Gangwon FC vs Daegu FC

Prior to the Korean FA Cup Final, Daegu FC will travel up to the north to take on Gangwon FC for the final round of the 2018 K League 1 season this Saturday afternoon. With only one point separating both sides in the table, seventh placed Daegu are looking to record their highest ever finish, while eighth placed Gangwon will be looking to overcome their North Gyeongsang Province counterparts. Daegu FC Correspondent Muyeol Jung previews this clash.

Last Time Out

Jeonnam Dragons 1-2 Daegu FC

After the international break, Daegu FC travelled down to Gwangyang to face off with Jeonnam Dragons for what could be their last visit for at least a year. The Dragons were desperate for the points, being on the edge of relegation and continued to push for a goal. But luckily for the visitors, it was Daegu that broke the deadlock via a converted spot-kick from Brazilian playmaker Cesinha after Edgar was tripped by Jeonnam's Heo Jaewon.

The second half started in more aggressive fashion with Jeonnam bringing super rookie Lee Sangheon on at half time. In the end, their efforts paid off with a header from very close range by Jeolla native, Kim Youngwook. However, their joy didn’t last that long as Daegu regained the lead again from a set play. Hong Jungwoon headed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner past Lee Hoseung from Cesinha’s ball in. Afterwards, Jeonnam did their best to equal the scoring, but failed to add more to their tally. By losing here, the Dragons were relegated to K League 2 for the first time in their history with one game of the season still to go.

Highlights: here

Sangju Sangmu 0-1 Gangwon FC

A thick layer of snow piled up on Sangju Civic Stadium put the kickoff time back to two hours later. The game was played on a very slippery pitch and with the Soldiers needing more than a point to fight for a survival, while the visitors had already claimed a place in K League for next year.

The host went for the win, but their endless efforts weren't quite enough to create any meaningful chances. Meanwhile, a composed Gangwon side took the lead thanks to Kim Jihyun who put the ball into the empty goal after Jung Jogook’s shot was rebounded out by Yoon Bosang. Afterwards, the Soldiers kept on attacking, but were unable to make any clear-cut chances. Eventually, the visitors held on for the win.

Highlights: here

Previous Meetings

The latest clash between the two was at Daegu Stadium in the rain back on 26th August. Neither team had many opportunities to really show off their skills due to the adverse weather and muddy field. However, ten minutes from time, Daegu took the lead through Cesinha’s curled strike outside of the penalty box after a couple of his attempts were constantly denied by Lee Beomyoung. Just seven minutes after that, substitute Ryu Jaemoon added the second of the night with a mid-range shot along the ground. It was valuable victory given that Korea international goalkeeper, Jo Hyunwoo, was out of the squad due to his participation in the gold medal winning side in at the 2018 Asian Games.

This year, Gangwon and Daegu have clashed three times resulting in three wins for Daegu. Gangwon’s last win over Daegu dates back to 1st July 2017 when they beat the Sky Blues 2-1 on the road thanks to goals from Ahn Jiho and Moon Changjin.

Head to head, Daegu slightly have the upper hand with 14 wins, while Gangwon have only 10 wins from the 33 previous clashes.

Team News

With the Korea FA Cup Final fever getting higher, atmosphere in the team could not be better. Currently, Daegu sit seventh in the table which is the highest place in the club’s history. Furthermore, Cesinha is still in the hunt for the most assists in the league with 11 from 25 games, followed by Costa Rican midfielder Aguilar from Incheon with 10 assists from 34 games.

Heading into the match with Gangwon, Daegu have no suspended players, but some usual absentees like Jung Woojae and Ze Roberto. Nevertheless, there is a great amount of uncertainty in terms of the starting eleven as this is just four days away from the first leg of the Cup Final. Because of the risk of injury or fatigue, rotation to a certain extent is to be anticipated. On the other side, Andre’s could well stick with the same team selection once again to aid consistency and match-fitness.

The Adversary

With Kim Byungsoo at the helm since the summer, Gangwon have had five wins, four draws, and six losses from 15 games. Under his supervision, his side are getting used to playing with short passes at a higher tempo. Particularly, the younger players have played a major role in the team's recent good run of form. For instance, Kim Jihyun, who has started three games on the bounce, was a big threat to Sangju and worked well alongside veteran forward Jung Jogook.

Meanwhile, the league's second highest goal scorer with 24 goals, Uroš Đerić is likely to start. At the time, he has two goals fewer than Marcão at Gyeongnam. In addition, two defensive midfielders, Oh Beomseok and Australian Dylan McGowan retained possession well the ball and neutralised the opponent’s efforts. However, the absence of Jung Sukhwa here will be a big loss after he picked up his third yellow card of the season. Jung is will be likely replaced by Hwang Jinsung or Kim Seungyong.

Prediction

This is a seventh place deciding match so there is a clear motivation to fight for for the two teams. However, Daegu need to be extra careful of injury in a situation where they are just a few days ahead of the Cup Final. Therefore, a 1-1 would be seen as a decent scoreline.

Gangwon FC 1-1 Daegu FC