Match of the Round
Busan IPark (3rd) vs. Ansan Greeners (12th) - Sat. 27th April, 16:30
Promotion hopefuls Busan IPark sit third in the table at present with 12 points earned from four wins. All four victories, though, have come away from home - including the 3-1 win over Bucheon last time out. The task at hand for Park Jin-sub's men is to start picking up points in their own patch. The visitors to the Asian Stadium this Saturday is an Ansan Greeners side that's on a run of one win in five.
Busan are the busiest team in the league in front of goal with 140 shots the most so far. Busan are third for accuracy at 41.4% and first for shots from outside the box. But Ansan may prove to be a tough nut to crack as the Green Wolves sit third in the league for defensive duel success (65.9%) and have made the second-highest number of interceptions. Ansan's challenge intensity is also the second highest with 6.4 duels, tackles, and interceptions made per minute of opponent possession. Last season, Busan picked up two wins and one draw against the Greeners, including a 2-0 victory at home last September. A similar result could see them move within a point of Anyang, while a win for Ansan could move them up seventh.
Team of the Round
Gyeongnam FC (vs. Suwon Bluewings, Sun. 28th April - 14:00)
Gyeongnam FC's 2-1 home win over Seoul E-Land last time out was their first in the league since the opening day. Lee Min-gi opened the scoring on 28 minutes before Lee Min-hyeok made it 2-0 just six minutes later. The win capped off a spell of improvement for the Roses after back-to-back draws in the league, as well as a Korean Cup win over Jeonnam Dragons in midweek. The win rockets Park Dong-hyuk's side up to eighth in the table, just three points off the playoff positions. Up next, though, is a trip to Big Bird to take on the league leaders Suwon Samsung Bluewings. It'll be the first meeting between the two teams since 2019. There should be plenty of shots in this game as Gyeongnam rank third in the division for total shots dispatched with 98 and the Bluewings second with 109. Likewise, the two teams rank highly when it comes to shots from outside the area with Gyeongnam in third with 50 and Suwon second with 54.
Player of the Round
Paulinho, Chungbuk Cheongju (vs. Bucheon FC 1995, Sun. 28th April - 16:30)
A brace from Paulinho last weekend - his first goals of the season - helped Chungbuk Cheongju onto a comeback win over Seongnam FC. The 30-year-old, who's in his second season with the Lions, struck in the 65th minute, heading in a teasing Kim Myung-soon cross from the right. Paulinho had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes but had managed to bring his side level. The winner came just three minutes later and was a touch fortuitous with Seongnam 'keeper Yu Sang-hun parrying a cross from the left onto the Brazilian before the ball made its way into the back of the net. Chungbuk Cheongju fans might argue that Paulinho was in the right place at the right time. With Jorge Luiz having left the club over the winter to join K League 1 giants Pohang Steelers, Paulinho will be looked upon to provide extra attacking impetus this season. Two goals scored matched his tally from last season and helped Choi Yun-kyum's men earn their first league win in three following two straight draws. The Lions are up to fourth and this Sunday face a Bucheon FC 1995 side that's without a win in three.
K League 2 Table
K League 2 Round 9 Fixtures
Saturday 27th April
#SEFCvCAFC: Seoul E-Land (7th) vs. Chungnam Asan (6th) - 14:00
#BUSvANS: Busan IPark (3rd) vs. Ansan Greeners (12th) - 16:30
#CCFCvGFC: Cheonan City (13th) vs. Gimpo FC (10th) - 16:30
Sunday 28th April
#JDFCvANY: Jeonnam Dragons (5th) vs. FC Anyang (2nd) - 14:00
#SSBvGYE: Suwon Samsung Bluewings (1st) vs. Gyeongnam FC (8th) - 14:00
#CHFCvBUC: Chungbuk Cheongju (4th) vs. Bucheon FC 1995 (9th) - 16:30
