In Round 27 of the Hana 1Q K League 2 campaign two of the division's in-form teams in Chungbuk Cheongju and Gimpo FC go to battle, Gimcheon Samgmu are on the hunt for yet more goals as they take on Jeonnam Dragons, and Bruno Lamas and Busan IPark head to the capital to take on Seoul E-Land looking to keep their automatic promotion push on track.
Match of the Round
Chungbuk Cheongju vs Gimpo FC, Sat. 19th August - 19:30
Chungbuk Cheongju and Gimpo FC are two of the most in-form teams in the division at present. Chungbuk Cheongju actually sat the last round out as their fixture with Chungnam Asan has been postponed until early October. The Lions had been on a run of nine unbeaten before their forced break and recorded a 2-0 win over Ansan Greeners last time out. Peter Makrillos got himself on the score sheet in that one to make it three goals in five outings and seven for the campaign. Chungbuk Cheongju have eyes on the playoff places and aim to make a late dash into the top five. Gimpo, meanwhile, their opponents this Saturday, are in fine fettle themselves having beaten Cheonan City last time out to make it three wins in five.
Both clubs recruited well from overseas during the winter. Chungbuk Cheongju's Jorge Luiz is on 10 goals for the season to sit joint fourth in the league's goal-scoring charts while Makrillos is seventh with seven. Gimpo, meanwhile, have Luis Mina as their top scorer with 10 for the campaign. Chungbuk Cheongju won the most recent meeting between the two clubs, 2-1 thanks to a brace from Jorge Luiz. The first between the two teams this season ended 0-0. They've met 17 times in total, mostly in K3 with Gimpo winning six, Chungbuk Cheongju five, and six draws.
Team of the Round
Gimcheon Sangmu (vs. Jeonnam Dragons, Sun. 20th August - 19:00)
A 4-0 win for Gimcheon Sangmu on Tuesday against Seoul E-Land kept the army side four points clear at the top of the table. It was also the team's second 4-0 win in a row having dispatched Seongnam by the same scoreline the round before. Against the Leopards, though, the goals came from Won Du-jae, Lee Jun-seok, Cho Young-wook, and Jeong Chi-in. For Cho, it was his 12th of the campaign to take him top of the goal-scoring charts. Gimcheon are now on 45 goals for the season so far, the most in the division. It is perhaps of little surprise, then, to discover that Chung Jung-yong's men are top for total shots with 350 and in the top four for accuracy at 37.1%. Gimcheon are third for headed shots, second for shouts from outside the area, and first for shots from open play. Looking to keep Gimcheon at bay this weekend is Jeonnam Dragons who host the army side on Sunday.
Player of the Round
Bruno Lamas, Busan IPark (vs. Seoul E-Land, Sun. 20th August - 18:30)
A late spotkick converted by Bruno Lamas for Busan IPark on Tuesday guided the automatic promotion hopefuls to victory over Jeonnam Dragons. It was the Brazilian attacking midfielder's seventh of the campaign and helped steer his team to second in the table and within four points of leaders Gimcheon. Busan are unbeaten in four now with three wins. Bruno Lamas is both Busan's leading scorer and leading assist maker with seven and four respectively but what's perhaps even more impressive is the combined expected goals and assists of 7.96. The former Daegu FC man is second for total shots with 63 and first for shots from outside the area with 48. Up next for Bruno Lamas and Busan is Seoul E-Land away this Sunday.
K League 2 Table
K League 1 Round 27 Fixtures
Saturday 19th August
#ANSvCAFC: Ansan Greeners (12th) vs Chungnam Asan (10th) - 19:00
#CHFCvGFC: Chungbuk Cheongju (8th) vs Gimpo FC (3rd) - 19:30
Sunday 20th August
#SEFCvBUS: Seoul E-Land (11th) vs Busan IPark (2nd) - 18:30
#JDFCvGIM: Jeonnam Dragons (7th) vs Gimcheon Sangmu (1st) - 19:00
Monday 21st August
#SFCvBUC: Seongnam FC (9th) vs Bucheon FC 1995 (6th) - 19:00
#GYEvCCFC: Gyeongnam FC (4th) vs Cheonan City (13th) - 19:30
Where to Watch
