As Yongin looms, Suwon need a win to halt the drift

After almost 25 seasons at the Suwon World Cup Stadium, the Bluewings will play out the remainder of their season in Yongin. The team is unbeaten since Byun Sung-hwan took over, but Suwon are recording too many draws to sufficiently close the gap. A win this Monday is vital, especially since the leaders are coming to town.

Match details

Match: Suwon Samsung Bluewings vs. FC Anyang.

Date: Monday, August 12th, 19:30.

Venue: Yongin Mireu Stadium Stadium. Capacity 37,155.

Tickets: Interpark. Prices start at ₩13,000.

How to watch: K League TV.

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Record so far

Suwon Samsung

Played: 23 Won: 9 Drew: 7 Lost: 7 Points: 34

Goals For: 30 Goals Against: 21 

Position: 5th

FC Anyang

Played: 23 Won: 14 Drew: 4 Lost: 5 Points: 46

Goals For: 35 Goals Against: 23

Position: 1st

The stats above tell their own tale. Suwon, having been three points clear of Anyang in April, are basically entering last chance saloon for automatic promotion. A win on Monday cuts the deficit to a manageable, but still tricky, nine points. Byun Sung-hwan has made Suwon harder to beat (all seven defeats came under his predecessor) but they still look predictable and stodgy in attack. The draws are stalling the team and killing momentum. They absolutely have to go on a winning run, starting in Yongin, to have any chance of going up as champions.

That Anyang are 12 points clear of the Bluewings after 23 games is a testament to how well they've played. Their first defeat came in round 7 against Suwon but they bounced back immediately to regain top spot as the Bluewings floundered. There are worrying signs, however. Of their five defeats, two have come in the last four games, and one of those was to Ansan Greeners. That midweek, Jeonnam Dragons won late in Seongnam after trailing at half-time. It felt like a round we look back upon in November as some sliding doors moment. But a gritty 1-0 win over surprise package Chungnam Asan, coupled with Jeonnam's draw against Seoul E-Land, pushed the Violets four clear at the top.

Paulinho could be Suwon's game changer

Something is lacking in Suwon's attack and we all know what it is. In fact, they could probably do with a number 9 as well, but for now, we'll take a goal-scoring, set-piece-taking, pacey front man who can play across the line. Suwon are far too predictable in attack. The build-up play is slow and labored and Kim Ju-chan just hasn't had the impact we expected after a very promising debut season. The supporting cast is beginning to show promise but they need to be knitted together. Paulinho is the player.

More on the Brazilian forward later but his singing will make the team infinitely stronger. They haven't had a player like that since Rodrigo Bassani, and it looks like they didn't know what they had when they had him. The likes of Park Seung-soo, Lee Gyu-dong, and Song Suk-yong are flourishing in a difficult season but they've been handed the ace card to get the best out of them.

Kim Da-sol could be a busy man on Monday.

Paulinho won't make Suwon stronger at the back, but he doesn't need to. The heart-stopping moments have largely disappeared under Byun. The midfield was ridiculously ill-disciplined in their defensive roles under Yeom Ki-hun but that's not the case now. Peter Makrillos brings directness and aggression to the centre of the park, which neatly balances the creativity of Kim Sang-jun. Suwon have found 50% of their missing pieces; is it enough? (Bruno Mota would have been a sensational signing).

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Danrlei's absence and a tested squad

FC Anyang were rocked by the terrible news of Danrlei's season ending injury against Busan IPark on July 14th. To that point, Danreli had formed a great partnership with Matheus, Yago, and the rest of his Anyang teammates. Anyang's foreign striker recruitment has been superb in recent seasons, but bad luck or off-field indiscretions has occasionally robbed them of the men needed to get them to the promised land of K League 1. The Brazilian struck four times and laid on two assists in 19 games this season. If Anyang are going to stay clear of the chasing pack, someone else will need to fill the void of their #9.

Mulić is a divisive figure but he leads the scoring charts for Suwon.

His injury couldn't have come at a worse time. These are the dog days of Korean summer so the ongoing heat wave and high humidity is affecting players around the league. It is, as they say, all hands on deck. Injuries and suspensions are problematic. Clubs need everyone fit. Anyang were trailing 1-0 when Danrlei went off injured against Busan. They lost the game and soon after, they suffered an embarrassing 3-2 defeat in Wa~ Stadium.

Matheus and Lee Tae-hee are in need of a rest but Anyang can't afford to do so just yet. They have rotated their midfielder options better, helped by the summer acquisition of the Japanese Yachida. Ri Yong-jik, previously linked with moves away from Anyang, has had a quiet summer and the visitors will need him back to his best immediately. Anyang fans have long wondered whether their squad is good enough to maintain a title push. It will get its severest test on Monday. Anything other than a loss would be a superb result.

Key men

Paulinho

Paulinho in his Cheonan City outfit.

Paulinho is the obvious choice for Suwon. The Brazilian, who'll wear 11 for the Bluewings, recently moved up Line 1 from Cheonan City. The move is perfect for both parties; Paulinho gets to play for Suwon, having seen, up close, their awesome away support. And Suwon gets access to a man with nine goals and one assist this season, to go with the 13 goal contributions from last season. The new recruit is likely to feature on the left side of Byun's front 3, alongside Fejsal Mulić and perhaps Kim Ju-chan. Paulinho is a set piece specialist and he's very quick; he must be one of the fastest from a standing start in the league. Even if Anyang shut down his supply route, that should leave freedom for Mulić and friends to wreck havoc.

Matheus

Matheus is pure class. If Anyang go up, he'll likely be on the move.

Anyang's recent lose of Danrlei is heaping more pressure on his fellow Brazilian, Matheus. The #7's form is so good this season he was linked with several K League 1 clubs. Like Paulinho, Matheus is short, quick, left-footed and brilliant from set pieces. This match-up alone is worth the entrance fee. In his maiden season at this level, Matheus has five goals and six assists and is a major threat from corners. Back un April, it looked like the occasion got to him; he was overtrying and it often led to poor decisions but his wicked free-kick gave Anyang the consolation they deserved. Expect him back to his best on Monday.

The last meeting

The previous meeting between the Gyeonggi rivals felt like a seminal moment in this season's K League 2 championship race. Suwon had stuttered their way through the opening weeks but arrived in Anyang level on points with their hosts at the summit. After a nervy start, Kim Ju-chan opened the scoring against the run of play and Yeom Ki-hun's side put the game to bed before the break. In truth, they mauled Anyang that afternoon, departing with a 3-1 lead. The players celebrated for what seemed like an eternity in front of the huge traveling support. Little did we know at the time, that was the beginning of the end for Yeom. The legendary former player oversaw a disastrous run of form before losing his job in May. Anyang bounced back immediately and now looked down upon everyone, not least the Bluewings.

Prediction

Paulinho's signing is a game-changer for Suwon if they get it right. He's one of the league's most dangerous attackers, and he should thrive in a team loaded with plenty of exciting young talent and the lion's share of possession. Byun has firmly steadied the ship, but the feeling is his team are now about to take off. And make no mistake, this is basically his team now, after a lot of recruitment in the summer. An Anyang win ends Suwon's hopes of a top-two finish but a win opens the door for a late summer charge. Suwon to blow Anyang away.

Suwon Samsung 3-1 FC Anyang