Preview: FC Anyang vs Gwangju FC

David meets Goliath, when Anyang welcome Gwangju back after only five weeks from their last meeting. With Gwangju still unbeaten but Anyang on an incredible winning streak of four wins in a row. Will Anyang be able to give Gwangju their first defeat?

Last Time Out

Anyang 4-1 Asan Mugunghwa
Anyang surprised everyone when they beat Asan heavily over the weekend. This wonderful result saw Anyang solidify their position in the top three in the league, and silence any doubters that this year they're playoff contenders. The match started wonderfully for Anyang, as star man Palacios dazzled on the right wing, and sent a cross into the box that was headed home by Kim Sang-won before ten minutes had even been played.

Anyang had rightfully gained the lead, and with continued pressure in the first half they looked set to further their lead. After some VAR intervention Asan were rewarded with a penalty, Ko Moo-yeol stepped up to take the penalty. His penalty was poor and it struck the crossbar. It wasn't the only talking point of the first half as Asan's Lee Myung-joo got himself sent off for two yellow card offences before half time.

With Asan playing with ten men and Anyang piling on the pressure, it was a goal from out of the blue that shocked fans. Ju Se-jong with an incredibly wonderful, under the wall free kick left the goalkeeper surprised and the ball trickled in for 1-1. However, the tie only lasted six minutes, as Kim Sang-won headed home again too restore Anyang's lead. Another cross by Palacios creating the golden opportunity.

The lead was stretched again when four minutes later, Cho Kyu-sung scored a wonderful tap in finish after some Brazilian flair by Alex. With Asan pushing for an equalizer their shape was lost and Anyang had counter attacked them into a 3-1 lead. The game was put to rest when Palacios got his deserved goal, an amazing brave header by Choe Jae-hoon set Palacios one on one and he made no mistake with a clinical finish. Asan had been dismantled by a high flying Anyang side.

Full match highlights can be found here.

Seoul E-Land 0-2 Gwangju FC
Gwangju beat bottom of the league Seoul E-Land last weekend, with goals from Willyan and Kim Jeong-hwan. In front of a bumper crowd of 3,630 at Cheonan. The first goal was one of the best goals of the season from an individual standpoint. Willyan controlled the ball off his chest, using trickery he dodged past the E-Land defender allowing himself a shot across the goal. With a well placed finish into the bottom corner, Gwangju found themselves one nil up in the first half.

Brave defending by E-Land kept the game at only 1-0, a possible penalty shout after a clumsy tackle in the box by Gwangju's Ashurmatov. VAR waved the penalty away, but it could of been a close call. The second half started similar to that of the first half, with a goal scored early on. A great run by Willyan after running for thirty yards, his shot was parried and deflected into the path of Kim Jeong-hwan who with no players around and only three yards away from the goal, it was harder to miss. With the game now at 2-0, Seoul E-Land found themselves in a deep hole against the best defense in the league and the game ended with yet another Gwangju victory.

Full match highlights can be found here. 

Previous Meetings

The last time these two teams met was game week 14. A late kick off on a Sunday saw Anyang, who at that time had only one victory out of their last six games, lose to Gwangju 1-0. However, despite the defeat Anyang were without the majority of their key players. Palacios was out with a one match suspension, Alex was still suffering from his thigh injury and Kovtulyuk was leading the line for Anyang still lacking match fitness. Which added to the very lethargic squad performance.

Gwangju on the other hand was still as high firing then as they're now. Still undefeated and with an incredible goal differential, now boasting thirty one goals scored and only eight goals conceded. Gwangju's defensive stability is at the center of why they're doing so well this season. This was even a factor in the last meeting as Gwangju maintained their clean sheet.

Team News

This time around the game should be different from an Anyang perspective, Cho Kyu-sung is on the best form of his career. With seemingly every game getting in the correct positions for chances to score. Palacios is also in some of the best form of his career as well, the dynamic winger has three goals in his last five games and remarkably six assists. The front three of Anyang are firing on all cylinders and are destined to become a problem for even the strong Gwangju defense.

Gwangju have no major team news for this fixture, the return of Kim Tae-young for his third start of the season could mean a slight reshuffle at the back, but the overall team should remain consistent with that of the last time these two teams met.

The Adversary

Gwangju are still undefeated nineteen games into the season, they're on track to break defensive records and could beat the points record as well. They're an incredible team in the division, who have a clear point lead over second in the league as well. With the only teams that look like they could appose them and ruin the unbeaten streak are Busan or Anyang. Fortunately, Anyang are performing very well right now.

Gwangju will be playing their normal system of Felipe leading the line, with Felipe they have a guaranteed target man who will drag the attention of the Anyang defense. Which will free up their deadly wingers who will overlap frequently. Choi Ho-jung will have a hard time trying to maintain the defensive line for Anyang, look out for the overlapping players creating key chances that a great striker like Felipe could pounce on.

What To Watch

The most important part of this fixture is whether Anyang can use their attacking momentum in recent weeks to penetrate the strong Gwangju defense. Having the home factor might be an advantage for Anyang. They've turned the stadium into somewhat of a fortress in recent weeks. However, Gwangju travel well without a goal conceded away from home in their last five games. Anyang might be the team that can at least stop that record, but can they stop the undefeated run?

This is definitely a great game to watch from a neutral perspective, as it will allow the casual fan to witness the different styles of an, attacking system compared to that of a more defensive one. It will also be a test for Felipe who hasn't scored against Anyang yet this season, one of the few teams he hasn't scored against. Watch for the great football that is on offer and the chance of seeing a very high quality K League 2 fixture.

Prediction

With Anyang full of goals right now, eleven goals in five games. It's possible they might be able to score against the Gwangju side who have only conceded eight goals all year. However, it's unlikely they will be able to out score such a clinical and well organised side.

Prediction - FC Anyang 1 - 2 Gwangju FC

K League 2 Round 20 Preview: here