A Tough Welcome Back For Seoul E-Land

This Saturday will see a returning Seoul E-Land face off against fellow struggling side, Chungnam Asan in the 2021 K League 2. The Leopards have had a two-week break due to current world events and they are looking to come back with three points. The capital club finds itself two games behind the rest of the pack, and twelve points off a playoff spot.

Chungnam Asan will be looking to continue their great form against Seoul at Jamsil, as they handed the Leopards their first loss of the season in Leoul Park, back in April. A win for Seoul however would bring them up to at least 8th place. They would also overtake Asan who are only two points ahead of them. Michael Redmond previews this one.  

Match Details

Match: Seoul E-Land Vs Chungnam Asan

Date: Saturday 7th August 2021

Kick-Off: 8pm

Venue: Leoul Park (Seoul Olympic Stadium)

Last Time Out

Seoul last played on July 19th when they welcomed Gimcheon Sangmu to Leoul Park. A game that continued fitting tributes to coach Kim Hee-ho, Seoul were looking to continue winning ways after their 2-0 win over Daejeon in the round prior. 

The game got underway and it took Japanese player Yuki Kobayashi only two minutes from kick-off to get himself into the book. He started the game aggressively and he was then involved in a big call in the eighth minute too. Yuki was on the verge of being sent off for a second yellow, as he grabbed hold of Myeong Joon-jae's shirt. After much thought, the referee decided to book the Gimcheon man, leaving many Gimcheon players and staff puzzled. Yuki was very lucky to remain on the pitch.

Leandro came on in the second half and created some chances for the Leopards, but it was not to be. A better performance from what saw a few weeks prior. However Seoul needs a run of wins, not draws to get back up there in the table.

Full Time: Seoul E-Land 0-0 Gimcheon Sangmu 

For Asan, it was a frustrating evening in the Daejeon World Cup Stadium. They fell 1-0 to an Alibaev goal in the 16th minute. The Uzbekistan international took a shot from outside the box which cruised into the back of the net. 

This was after Asan went on a run of four games unbeaten. Three of the last four were wins and things were starting to look up for the side. Asan will now try to play a Seoul time who have patiently waited for their time to show off their new-look team.

Full Time: Daejeon Hana 1-0 Chungnam Asan  

The Jamsil Bogey Team

It has been mentioned many times that Chungnam Asan have had quite the history. From moving from Ansan to Asan and then changing their name from Asan Mungnhwa to Chungnam Asan. From being a police team to a citizen team, this side has had it all. However, if you concentrate on when the team played their football as an Asan based side, it comes up with some interesting statistics against Seoul E-Land. 

Out of the nine occasions that they have come to Seoul from Asan, Seoul have only won once. There has been three draws, and five wins for the away side. Asan just knows how to play Seoul in the Olympic stadium. These stats are from the 2017 season until the present day and both teams have had their good and bad form in that time. Asan won the league back in 2018 and took care of Seoul easily. Even last year when Asan ended up 10th. They still took care of the Leopards, who were at the time chasing a playoff spot. It might be the time that Seoul restores a bit of pride back for the stadium they play in, before their move to Mokdong next year.  

New Team, New Promise

Seoul were very busy in the transfer window. Signing the likes of Lee Jae-ik, Lee Kyu-ru, and Yuki Kobayashi. Fans got to see a glimpse of Yuki back in the Gimcheon game and hope to see even more from the Japanese player in the next game. Lee Jae-ik and Lee Kyu-ru have also been impressive in their starts for the side.

However, it will be the signing of Kim In-sung who has turned most head and made the fans of Seoul most excited. The transfer itself has even fans in the K League 1 talking. Chung Jung-yong has a vision for promotion and he is opening his war chest to do so. The addition of Kim In-sung will hopefully get Seoul back to winning ways. The former Ulsan Hyundair play has still not played for Seoul due to the postponement, yet it is more than likely he will be a feature in this game against Asan.

The manager has also brought in a new coach this week. Gong Oh-kyun, a man who was his assistant in the 2019 U-20 World Cup. He is coming in after being the assistant manager for the Indonesian national team and has also had a long-playing career in the K League. Playing for both Daejeon and Gyeongnam FC. 

Still A Lonely Leoul Park...

As mentioned in my Anyang preview before the postponement. We are still under restrictions in the capital area, so no fans will be in attendance this Saturday evening. Seoul have faithful fans who watch them with pride and passion. The Capital has been under lockdown for a number of weeks now, and fans may not know when the next time they can get to Leoul Park. Or even if they will get there before the season is out. 

This will be Seoul E-Land's last season in Leoul Park for a number of years. Image Via (facebook.com/SeoulEland)

Fans will hope that they will be able to see Seoul play in Leoul Park, before renovations start and they move to Mokdong Stadium for the 2022 K League season. There are only six home games left this season. One of them being the game against Asan which has been confirmed to be behind closed doors. The Seoul faithful will follow the side wherever they go. Some of their largest attendances came when they played their trade down in Cheonan. It will just be such a shame if the fans could not experience the magic of the stadium before they close its doors for a number of years.

Could This Be The Jump Start?

Seoul will look to get rid of its past misfortunes and go on to beat Asan on Saturday evening. They will hope to not lose any focus due to having two-game weeks off and come out of the blocks flying. Asan on the other hand will look to get back to winning ways and continue to make a turnaround to the poor start to the season. 

Both sides have a history against one another, which is heavily in favour of Asan coming out the victors. However, this does not say that Seoul could dominate this match and come away deserved winners of this fixture as they now seem to have the team to do so.