Match of the Round
Busan IPark vs. Seoul E-Land, Saturday 5th October - 16:30
Third host fourth this Saturday afternoon when Busan IPark take on Seoul E-Land. It's been a remarkable upturn in form for Busan, unbeaten in seven with five wins and firmly in the hunt for promotion back to K League 1. Jo Sung-hwan's men are only two points behind Chungnam Asan in second heading into Round 34, and five behind leaders Anyang. It is very much game on for the Royals. Seoul E-Land, meanwhile, had been in great form until Monday's 2-0 home loss to 10-man Gimpo FC. Prior to that, the Leopards had picked three wins from four and had momentarily moved up to second. With the playoff race as tight as it is, and perhaps as tight as it ever has been, a win for either team this Saturday could prove key; only three points separate Seoul E-Land and the rest of the play-off chasing pack.
Last time out, Busan put five past Ansan Greeners in a game that saw Brazilian forward Fessin score a hat-trick. The last time they scored five in a league game was actually against Seoul E-Land, back in November 2019, and was their biggest win since May of that season when they put five past Daejeon. Seoul E-Land are the league's top scorers, with 54 from an xG of 46.48, which is the second-highest. Busan are third with 46.09 and fourth for total goals. Not only that, but Busan sit second for total shots with 416 and Seoul E-Land third with 400. Fans will be forgiven, then, for expecting plenty of attempts on goal when the two teams lock horns. Seoul have the better shooting accuracy record, though, with 41.3% of all attempts on goal finding the target; Busan slip to seventh in that regard with 38.9%. Seoul E-Land won all of the last three meetings between the two teams, including their last trip to the South Coast in March this year.
Team of the Round
Gimpo FC (vs. Chungnam Asan, Saturday 5th October - 16:30)
A 2-0 win away to Seoul E-Land with 10 men didn't just end a run of three without victory for Gimpo FC, it got Ko Jeong-woon's men back into the playoff race. Kim Min-ho's 45th-minute red card meant that Gimpo had to play the entire second half with a man fewer, but that did little to deter them. Two minutes after the sending off, in the third minute of first-half injury time, Brazilian forward Bruno Paraíba broke the deadlock before Jang Yun-ho made it 2-1 on 51 minutes. It was Gimpo's first away win since May and one which moves them to within three points of the playoffs. Now, with five games left, Gimpo still very much have something to play for. Up next is the visit of Chungnam Asan, a side that beat the league leaders away from home in their last outing, are on a run of six unbeaten with four wins, and sit in second with one eye on the automatic promotion spot. Saturday's contest will be very important to both teams. Gimpo are the league's most accurate shooters, though, with 42.5% of all attempts on goal finding the target so will be a formidable opponent for the Owls.
Player of the Round
Kim Hyun, Suwon Samsung Bluewings (vs. FC Anyang, Sun. 6th October - 17:30)
Kim Hyun may have returned to the field in Suwon Bluewings' Round 32 loss to Busan IPark, but he officially announced his return last time out. Kim scored the equaliser to earn the Bluewings a point away to Gyeongnam, his first goal since April after a spell of injury troubles. Kim was on hand at the back post to nod in a Sebastian Mailat corner in the 76th minute. The experienced striker had been on a run of nine goal contributions in eight games before picking up his initial injury and returns at a crucial time for the Bluewings, a team that has slipped out of the playoff places following a run of one win in six. Despite his long spell on the sidelines, Kim Hyun is still Suwon's second-top scorer and with 10 goal contributions, sits joint first in that regard too. Up next for Kim Hyun and Suwon is the third and final Jijidae Derby of the season, the visit to Yongin of league leaders FC Anyang. Kim scored one and assisted one when he last faced the Violets in a 3-1 win back in April.
Elsewhere in K League 2 Round 34
Cheonan City (9th) vs. Gyeongnam FC (12th). Sitting 10 points behind the playoff places, Cheonan City will be looking to at least end the season in good form and ensure further progress from last season's last-place finish. Gyeongnam are looking to avoid that same fate, and with a four-point cushion over last-place Seongnam FC, their destiny is in their own hands. The Magpies are also only three points behind Ansan Greeners who sit one place above them.
Seongnam FC (13th) vs. Jeonnam Dragons (5th). Seongnam FC sit bottom of the table, four points adrift of Gyeongnam. The task at hand for Jeon Kyung-jun and his men is to at least end the season not in last place. They face a Jeonnam Dragons side, though, that earned a first win in eight last time out, and one which moved back into the playoff places. The Dragons will be looking to regain momentum to ensure of a playoff berth.
Bucheon FC 1995 (6th) vs. Chungbuk Cheongju (10th). Despite taking the lead away to Jeonnam last time out, Bucheon FC 1995 fell to a 3-1 loss, ending a run of three straight wins and five without defeat. The Reds, therefore, slipped out of the playoff spots and will be looking to make ammends this weekend. Bucheon face a now manager-less Chungbuk Cheongju side that sits 10 points off the playoffs, merely looking to end the season on the best possible terms.
K League 2 Table
K League 2 Round 34 Fixtures
Saturday 5th October
#BUSvSEFC: Busan IPark (3rd) vs. Seoul E-Land (4th) - 16:30
#GFCvCAFC: Gimpo FC (8th) vs. Chungnam Asan (2nd) - 16:30
#CCFCvGYE: Cheonan City (9th) vs. Gyeongnam FC (12th) - 16:30
#SFCvJDFC: Seongnam FC (13th) vs. Jeonnam Dragons (5th) - 19:00
#BUCvCHFC: Bucheon FC 1995 (6th) vs. Chungbuk Cheongju (10th) - 19:00
Sunday 6th October
#JijidaeDerby: Suwon Samsung Bluewings (7th) vs. FC Anyang (1st) - 17:30
No game: Ansan Greeners
