“The supportive THE B is unfolding.” Anyang vs Suwon clash…K League 2 Round 8 Preview

There will be a big match in the eighth round.

□ Match of Round – Lead race, ‘Anyang vs Suwon’

Anyang (16 points) and Suwon (15 points), which are ranking first and second respectively, will meet in the eighth round. The two teams have been fiercely competing with each other lately due to their formidable ascent.

Anyang, the home team, has been unbeaten since the opening (5 wins and 1 draw), the only record among the 25 teams in the K League this season. In the previous seventh round of Busan, Matheus, Hong Chang-beom, Dan-rey and Kim Jung-hyun scored in succession to win 4-3.

The performance of Brazilian duo Mateus and Danlei is notable for Anyang’s upward trajectory this season. Mateus is currently ranked first in scoring (four goals) and tied for first in assists (joint and two assists) within his team. Notably, Mateus has posted offensive points in four consecutive games except for the first two since the opening of the season, and Anyang has won all of them to record four consecutive wins. Danlei ranks second in scoring (3 goals) and first in assists (jointly with two assists) within his team, and has scored offensive points in all games except for games against Seoul E-Land in the fourth round. Expectations are high whether the two players’ fierce toes will shine in the match against Suwon.

Against this backdrop, Suwon, an away team, has jumped to second place instantly by catching Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, South Jeolla Province and Gimpo in turn. It is the first time in about four years that Suwon has recorded three consecutive wins in the league since the 2020 season (K League 1 22-24R), and if it catches Anyang this time and records four consecutive wins, it will be about six years since the 2018 season (K League 1 6-9R). Suwon, which aims to be promoted directly this season, will challenge to make its fourth consecutive win at the match against Anyang.

Recently, the key player of Suwon is striker Kim Hyun. Kim contributed to Suwon’s rise by scoring all three goals and one assist in the game in which Suwon has won three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Anyang and Suwon will have a showdown for the first time in about two years since they met in the 2022 season promotion playoff. At that time, Suwon had one win and one draw, while Anyang remained in the K League 1, and promotion to Anyang failed. The fierce competition for the lead between the two teams, which is the first time in a long time, can be seen at Anyang Stadium at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

□ Team of round – winless 5 games in a row, South Gyeongsang in need of a twist

Gyeongnam recorded its first win of the early season by holding Ansan 2-1 in the opening match, but has since been in a winless swamp for five consecutive games. However, Gyeongnam’s recent game record shows that it has been tied for two consecutive games since losing three consecutive games, breaking its losing streak and improving gradually.

In particular, the South Korean team showed concentration in producing a draw with Do Dong-hyun’s equalizer in the 35th minute of the second half after trailing 0-1 in the previous seventh round against Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. It is also positive that the team has scored in all games except against Bucheon in the fifth round of this season. Having ended its losing streak, all it needs is a win.

This season, Gyeongnam Won Ki-jong scored five goals and is the lone top scorer in the K League 2, but he will join Gimcheon at the end of this month. Therefore, it is time for Georgia duo Arabulli and Musella to play well to fill the gap in Won Ki-jong. The two players who joined Gyeongnam this season had one goal and one assist, and Musella had not yet scored a goal. Arabulli is a former member of the Georgia national team, and Musella is the top scorer in Georgia’s first division last season, so both players should finish adapting to the K-League as soon as possible and contribute to Gyeongnam’s rebound. 룸알바

Meanwhile, South Gyeongsang Province will face Seoul E-Land in the upcoming round. Seoul E-Land has also had four consecutive wins and no wins. The two teams had two wins and one loss last season, narrowly leading South Gyeongsang Province. The first showdown of the season will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Changwon Football Center.

□ Player of the Round – Kim Young-nam, the core of Ansan’s defense