Preview: Gangwon FC vs Gyeongnam FC

Gyeongnam FC have no wins in their last 16 matches in the K League 1 and continue to struggle. While there were several victories in the ACL and FA Cup they may point to, they were still eventually eliminated from all tournaments. Manager Kim Jongboo will have to devote all his energy to raise the Reds’ league standings in the remaining matches but must first get past an in-form Gangwon FC side.

Last Time Out

Gyeongnam FC 1-3 Ulsan Hyundai

Kim Hyogi's scored his first goal of the season but he failed to save the team from defeat. Gyeongnam FC's desperation and determination were seen, but the walls of Ulsan Hyundai were too high for the Reds to surmount.

Gyeongnam FC used a defensive formation as expected and attempted an attack through counterattacks. However, the Reds allowed Ulsan to score in the 14th minute. Lee Bumsoo kept off Ulsan's continued offence, and Gyeongnam FC did not allow any more goals. Luckily in the 32nd minute, Junior's goal was disallowed for offside. The first half ended without any more notable events.

The second half of the match also went similarly to the first half. The visiting team pressed the home team hard, but Lee Bumsoo's saves saved Gyeongnam FC. In the 71st minute, Luc Castaignos passed the ball to Kim Hyogi when Woo Joosung’s mid-range shot came off the goalkeeper, and Kim Hyogi did not miss the chance to score. It was Kim Hyogi’s first goal of the season that equalised the match. However, taking advantage of the lack of concentration among Gyeongnam FC’s defenders, Ulsan took the lead again, with Joo Minkyu scoring. Bae Kijong scored in the 91st minute to equalise, but the goal was cancelled after the VAR result declared a foul. Ulsan Hyundai won the game 3-1, with Junior’s additional goal.

Highlights: here

Gangwon FC 4-0 Sangju Sangmu 

Gangwon FC welcomed Sangju Sangmu to give them a lesson in what attacking football is. Sangju Sangmu's manager and head coach started the game in the stands after being sent off from the last league game.

Upon starting, the home team scored a goal, with Kim Jihyun connecting Jung Seungyoung's free-kick with a header. Sangju Sangmu led the attack around Park Yongji, the team's top scorer for this season, but failed to score due to lack of finishing. Shortly before the end of the first half, Jung Jogook's powerful left-footed shot led to a goal, with the first half ending in a 2-0 victory.

At the start of the second half, Jung attempted a powerful kick but failed to score. Sangju Sangmu began to try medium-range shots frequently as the match appeared to be not going as far as they wanted. Chances continued to come to Park Yongji, but he failed to convert. In the 73rd minute, Cho Jaewan did not miss the opportunity to score within the penalty box. Six minutes later, Lee Hyunsik scored and Sangju Sangmu was seen to be collapsing. At the same time, it offered evidence that showed how strong Gangwon's offence was. Sangju Sangmu showed a military spirit that never gave up until the end, but they failed to score and the game ended with a 4:0 victory for Gangwon.

Highlights: here

Previous Meetings

The most recent match between two teams was held in May. Gangwon FC won the match against Gyeongnam FC with two goals. By looking at last season's records, Gyeongnam are leading by a narrow margin with two wins and one loss, and Gyeongnam have better results at Gangwon’s home with seven wins, four draws and one loss. But the record is only a record, and Gangwon have no losses in their last six games while Gyeongnam have no wins in the last six matches. Therefore, Gangwon FC is likely to win or draw the match by a narrow margin.

Team News

Coincidentally, Gyeongnam FC are reportedly set to sign Đerić, a Serbian striker from Gangwon FC. At the same time, Lee Yongjae will move to Gangwon. Lee Yongjae showed a good performance at the center of Gyeongnam with Jordon Mutch, but he could not find a perfect spot for him in the team. Fortunately, Lee Youngjae's vacancy will be replaced by Ko Kyungmin, who missed the last match due to accumulated warnings. In the match against Gangwon, none of the Reds’ players will miss the match due to the suspension.

It seems there are no major changes for Gangwon. They are supposedly set to transfer their last season’s top goal scorer Uros Đerić to Gyeongnam and he therefore may not be available, but the Serbian’s performance this season was underwhelming and he did not quite fit into the manager Kim Byungsoo’s tactics. Gangwon will use a similar formation and tactic against the visiting team as they did in the last match against Sangju Sangmu. Jung Seokhwa, a speedy dribbler, is out of the season with injuries, and Kim Jihyun, the key player in the offence, will miss the match due to the accumulated yellow cards.

[LISTEN: K League 1 Transfer Wishlist]

The Adversary

Gangwon FC has been doing well with three wins and three draws in the last six matches. The players seem to have a very good understanding of the tactics that manager Kim Byungsoo wants. Gangwon is fourth in the league with manager Kim Byung-soo's exclusion of the team’s last season's top scorer, Đerić, for tactical reasons, but as a result, they have produced good results without Đerić.

Gangwon is a team that uses various scoring methods with the striker Kim Jihyun, midfielder Cho Jaewan and Left-back Jung Seungyoung. Also, Jung Jogook, a veteran player, is leading the Gangwon revolution by scoring in important moments. Against Gyeongnam, therefore, the home team will be able to produce results that will fully satisfy their fans at home.

What To Watch

Two Veterans – Jung Jogook vs Bae Kijong

Jung Jogook is proving that age is only a number. He leads Gangwon FC's scoring charts. Even with young strikers playing alongside him, he is fully demonstrating his qualification as a veteran. In particular, he is doing his part by scoring a come-from-behind goal in the previous dramatic match against Pohang Steelers. Many fans will be looking forward to seeing Jung Jogook replace Kim Jihyun in this match as Kim will miss the game and Jung Jogook is a experienced player who can fully meet the fans' expectations.

Bae Kijong is a Gyeongnam’s super-sub this season. Without captain Bae's stellar performance earlier this season, Gyeongnam FC would have been located below Incheon United in the league table. So far, Bae Kijong has scored four goals this season followed by Kim Seungjun who scored five. Bae must be feeling a lot of pressure on him, but as a veteran, he is a player who can overcome the pressure and show his ability to the fans in the coming up match.

Prediction

Gyeongnam FC continues to show poor results regardless of their home and away games. By looking back at the aforementioned record, the Reds can be seen as dominant against Gangwon FC. However, Gangwon had a 2-0 win over Gyeongnam in the first half of the year, and it will be difficult for the Reds to beat Gangwon if they continue the form of their recent performances. One variable is the weather. If it rains heavily, the game will become more and more complicated. However, if excluding the weather variable, Gangwon will edge a narrow victory.

Predicted Score: Gangwon FC 2-1 Gyeongnam FC