Overview & Match Information
Fixture: Daejeon Hana Citizen (8th) vs. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (12th)
Competition: 2023 Hana 1Q K League 1 Round 31
Venue: Daejeon World Cup Stadium
Time: 14:00 KST, Saturday 23rd September 2023
The Football Capital Derby. The exact origins of the name are unclear but it centres on the passionate support of both clubs. Daejeon, despite finishing in the bottom half of the table for most of their previous spells in K League 1, often drew large crowds while the Bluewings are a club that's known the world over for having a devoted and passionate fanbase. Both, at some point, have declared their respective cities as the capital of football - Daejeon the football capital of South Korea while Suwon was declared as a football special city. Each meeting, then, is like a bout to determine the undisputed football capital of Korea.
Recent Form
A run of four matches without a win and one win in five has left Daejeon five points adrift of the top half. Earning a place in the top six, then, is looking more difficult for the newly-promoted side. But the Purples will perhaps feel like they earned the draw away to Ulsan last time out, with goalkeeper Lee Chang-geun saving an injury-time penalty. A draw away to the champions and current league leaders will always be seen as a positive result. Masatoshi Ishida returned to the side and provided an assist for Kim In-gyun's early opener. The Japanese has earned the nickname 'G
aeul Masa' or 'Autumn Masa' because the attacker always seems to find form in the fall.
Suwon Bluewings, meanwhile, have lost three on the spin and have just one win in five. Kim Byung-soo's side now sit bottom of the table, two points behind Gangwon in 11th, seven points behind city rivals Suwon FC in 10th, and 13 points behind Jeju in absolute safety. Worryingly for the Suwon faithful, the Bluewings have failed to score in each of their last three matches having last found the back of the net on August 18th.
Team News
Daejeon Hana Citizen will continue to be without striker Vladislavs Gutkovskis. The Latvia international suffered a torn knee ligament in a practice game earlier in the summer and has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Other injury concerns include the versatile Lim Duk-geun and left back Seo Young-jae. Experienced right back Oh Jae-suk is suspended,
Suwon Bluewings fans will be hoping that Maxwell Acosty and Dave Bulthuis are fit enough to return with the duo having missed the last match with suspected injuries. Acosty in particular given that the winger has managed three goals and five assists against Daejeon in 10 appearances against the club for both Anyang and Suwon. Fejsal Mulić scored against Daejeon in the 2-2 draw back in July and so will be hoping to be given a starting berth. Centre back Han Ho-kang is suspended.
Head-to-Head
The most recent meeting in July, which was the last time Suwon visited Purple Arena, the Bluewings came back from 2-0 down to earn a draw. Goals from Kim In-gyun and Shin Sang-eun had Daejeon two goals to the good inside 28 minutes but a Ko Seung-beom strike just three minutes later halved the deficit. Mulić then restored parity just shy of the hour mark, Acosty with the assists for both goals.
The very first meeting this season, which was the first in K League in eight years, ended in a 3-1 Daejeon win at Big Bird. It was Daejeon's first away win of the campaign and first in the top flight since last 2015. Lee Jin-hyun opened the scoring with a sumptuous curling effort on 62 minutes only for Acosty to level on 68. But, with the game looking as though it was going to peter out into a draw, Daejeon strict twice in time added on, first with Byun Jun-soo with a header on the line, then Kim Min-duk who found the near corner with the outside of the boot from an angle.
There have been 58 previous encounters between the two teams. Suwon have picked up 29 wins, Daejeon 12 with 17 draws. The Bluewings have outscored the Purples, too, with 90 to 50.
Who to Watch
Kim In-gyun, Daejeon Hana Citizen
Daejeon have pace in abundance and can hit teams on the counter with break-neck speed. Kim In-gyun, whether he's in from the start or coming off the bench, helps the Purples in that regard. He scored last time out, showing a deft touch to guide the ball past an on-rushing Jo Hyeon-woo, and scored in the last meeting with Suwon Bluewings in July. So far this term, Kim has six goals and four assists to his name.
Fejsal Mulić, Suwon Samsung Bluewings
No player in K League has a better shots per 90-minute record than Fejsal Mulić. The towering centre forward has registered 4.06 shots per match on average this term and has four goals to his name from an xG of 3.33. His shooting accuracy is at 45% and his dribble success rate is 76.5%.
Where to Watch
Follow the match LIVE, for FREE, with English commentary, and in HD on
TV.KLeague.com.
