The 2022 Hana 1Q K League 2 season reaches Round 35 this weekend and the pick of the action will be third hosting fourth as Daejeon Hana Citizen take on playoff rivals Bucheon FC 1995. Elsewhere, an in-form FC Anyang side take on Gimpo FC looking to extend their unbeaten run to 13, while Chungnam Asan will be looking to Yoo Kang-hyun to fire the Owls back to winning ways.
Match of the Round
Daejeon Hana Citizen (3rd) vs Bucheon FC 1995 (4th), Sat. 27th August - 18:30
A huge encounter between two teams vying for promotion this Saturday sees Daejeon Hana Citizen in third take on Bucheon FC 1994 in fourth. Only goals scored separates the two sides at present as the Purples and the Reds are locked on 50 points. Daejeon are looking to bounce back from two straight defeats while Bucheon are looking to return to winning ways after a run of four games without one. Last time out, Daejeon fought back from 2-0 down to Anyang to find themselves level but shipped a 94th-minute goal to Jonathan Moya. Bucheon came from behind to draw 1-1 at home to Busan IPark thanks to a late equaliser from Jorman Aguilar who cancelled out Jung Won-jin's penalty.
With the new playoff system, which will see the team that finishes second advance straight to a two-leg promotion-relegation playoff with 11th in K League 1, and third in K League 2 facing the winner of fourth and fifth for the right to play 10th in K League 1, Saturday's match will be seen as a must-win for both teams.
Daejeon will be looking to their stellar attacking talent, Willyan, Leandro and Kayzer in particular. Kayzer has four goal contributions in his last four games (three goals, one assist) while Willyan has three goals in five. Leandro, too, has contributed to take his goal tally to six. Bucheon's attack is a bit more modest compared to Daejeon's having scored 10 fewer. The Reds, though, have one of the best passing rates in the league with 14.1 passes per minute of possession and with the third-best accuracy. Nilson Junior, who scored the winner these two teams met in Bucheon earlier in the season, ranks fourth for interceptions made with 169, and second for shots blocked at 21, while Kim Kang-san is fourth for defensive duels.
Team of the Round
FC Anyang (vs. Gimpo FC, Sat. 27th August - 18:30)
In the driving seat for second place after back-to-back wins and a run of 12 without defeat, FC Anyang are the team to keep tabs on this weekend. The Violets showed great determination and character to go on and find a winner against Daejeon despite, at one point, letting a two-goal lead slip. Maxwell Acosty, incredibly, laid on a hat-trick of assists in that game to move him up to first in the assist charts with 10, two clear of Lee Eu-ddeum of Gwangju. Anyang have proven to be the most efficient shooters in K League 2 this season having dispatched the fewest shots but with the second-best accuracy at 39.8%. This weekend, the Violets take on Gimpo FC at home, a side they have beaten three times already this season.
Player of the Round
Yoo Kang-hyun, Chungnam Asan (vs. Jeonnam Dragons, Sun. 18th August - 16:00)
Chungnam Asan striker Yoo Kang-hyun is in a rich vein of goal-scoring form having bagged three goals in his last five and five goals in his last seven. This puts him on 15 goals and up to second in the K League 2 golden boot race. The 26-year-old former Daegu and Pohang youth has done this by dispatching the most shots in the division so far this season with 79 and second most per 90 minutes at 3.3. He's also amassed the most touches in the box at 130, second per 90 minutes at 5.43. Up next for Yoo and Chungnam Asan take on Jeonnam Dragons, a side which is on a run of 17 without a win. Owls boss Park Dong-hyuk will be looking to Yoo to make end his team's run of five matches without victory.
Elsewhere in K League 2 Round 35
The weekend's K League 2 action will get underway with top taking on bottom as Gwangju FC host Busan IPark. The match will see Park Jin-sub head back to Gwangju for the first time since departing the club in 2020. The Yellows will be looking to preserve their eight-point lead over the chasing pack while Busan know that a win could move them within a point of 10th.
On Sunday, Gyeongnam FC versus Ansan Greeners will bring K League 2 Round 35 to a close. Gyeongnam have a slender, one-point lead of sixth and so will be determined to make it three wins on the spin to stay in the playoff spots. The Greeners fought back from behind twice on Monday against Chungnam Asan and have moved up to eight.
K League 2 Round 35 Fixtures
Saturday 27th August
#GWAvBUS: Gwangju FC (1st) vs Busan IPark (11th) - 16:00
#DHFCvBUC: Daejeon Hana Citizen (3rd) vs Bucheon FC 1995 (4th) - 18:30
#ANYvGFC: FC Anyang (2nd) vs Gimpo FC (7th) - 18:30
Sunday 28th August
#JDFCvCAFC: Jeonnam Dragons (10th) vs Chungnam Asan (6th) - 16:00
#GYEvANS: Gyeongnam FC (5th) vs Ansan Greeners (8th) - 18:30
Paul Neat
Editor-in-Chief
