Preview: Suwon Samsung Bluewings vs Busan IPark

Suwon Samsung Bluewings are currently enduring a forgetful run of form in what has been a catastrophic season for the club. Busan IPark are their next opponents in K League on Saturday, when they return to action at the Big Bird. Nived Zenith previews the clash between the sides.

Last Time Out

During their latest outing in K League, the Bluewings were handed yet another disappointment as they lost 1-0 away from home to bottom-placed Incheon United. The hosts were coming off the back of their first win of the season and have now made it back-to-back victories at the expense of Suwon. Song Si-woo scored the winner in the 70th minute after he pounced on a lapse in concentration from Suwon while defending a set-piece. 

However, it was the Bluewings that enjoyed the best of chances throughout the game. In fact, Incheon never really threatened in a first half that saw Adam Taggart failing to work the goalkeeper on three separate occasions. The visitors were made to rue their missed chances in the second half and have nobody but themselves to blame for that poor performance.

Busan IPark 2-1 Pohang Steelers

Leading up to their meeting against Pohang Steelers, Busan were on a six-game winless streak across all competitions. However, they played with confidence and did well to come away with maximum points during the outing. The early goal from Kang Min-soo certainly helped their cause and more fearless attacking football offered them a chance to extend their lead from the penalty spot in the 36th minute. Lee Jung-hyub dispatched the spot-kick with ease to give them a two-goal cushion at half-time.

Although they did concede a goal in the second half through Lee Gwang-hyeok, Busan were able to maintain their composure and eventually came away with a vital win that helped them move within touching distance of the top half of the table.

Previous Meetings

The sides have met twice so far this season and Suwon have failed to beat Busan on both occasions. While the league game finished 0-0 in Busan back in May, Suwon suffered a 1-0 defeat during the FA Cup clash that saw them exit the competition without making the quarter-finals. As such, Busan clearly hold an edge over Suwon in terms of the most recent meetings.

However, over the years, Suwon hold a significant advantage over Busan in terms of wins at home and away. The sides have locked horns on 68 separate occasions in the K League, where Suwon have won 36 in comparison to Busan’s tally of 15. Additionally, there have been more draws (17) than wins for Busan in this particular fixture. The sides have also scored 176 goals between them during these meetings (Suwon – 103, Busan 73), an average of more than 2 goals per meeting.

Team News

Despite the poor run of form endured by Adam Taggart, Suwon are expected to trust him again due to his experience at this level. The goals have dried up, but the Australian still remains their most lethal weapon in attack and could once again be deployed as the lone striker. Terry Antonis might have to deal with another game outside the playing eleven, as he failed to make a lasting impact after coming on as a substitute last time around. There is also pressure on the likes of Yeom Ki-hun and Kim Min-woo to use their abilities to drag Suwon away from relegation in the coming weeks.

Busan IPark looked comfortable in their 4-1-4-1 formation against Pohang Steelers the other day. As such, they are not expected to make any tactical tweaks against Suwon either. The side will also be keen to continue their momentum going forward and perhaps there is no better place than Big Bird for them to do so at the moment. 

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The Adversary

Busan have managed to punch above their weight so far during their return to the top-flight. Although they endured a bit of a difficult run of form before the win over Pohang, the team looks destined to retain their top-flight status. 

The visitors have enough quality to punish Suwon and are expected to play fearless football on Saturday. They could cause plenty of problems by getting behind the Suwon defenders, who have struggled at dealing with runners.

Cho Deok-je will be banking on his attackers to produce another good performance with and without the ball at their feet. If they are to play like they did in the last outing, there’s little than can go wrong at the Big Bird.

What To Watch

Can the Suwon bigwigs step up?

Coming into the season, Suwon boasted some of the best foreign players on paper. However, their performances have flattered to deceive in the K League this term. Adam Taggart looks devoid of form and confidence, while his countryman Terry Antonis has yet to fulfil the expectations placed on him. Doneil Henry has also struggled after a decent start to the campaign, whereas Sulejman Krpic’s story isn’t too different either.

Undoubtedly, the overseas acquisitions need to overturn their wretched run of form and help Suwon climb out of the mire they find themselves in currently. It is time for them to work collectively as a unit and fulfil the potential they boast on paper. However, instances like the goal conceded against Incheon cast huge doubts about whether they actually seem themselves playing at the club beyond the season.

When Song Si-woo slipped in behind Antonis, Taggart was seen pointing fingers at the escaping Incheon goal-scorer, who comfortably took on Henry before finding the back of the net. They need to be better, there can’t be any excuses from now.

Prediction

Suwon need a huge upturn in their fortunes to come away with a win over Busan on Saturday. It could work out to be a draw like the meeting between the sides in the reverse league fixture in May. However, Busan still hold an edge and will definitely fancy their chances to come away with a narrow win.