Gangwon FC vs Seongnam FC
Gangwon FC are eager to get back on track this weekend after a shock defeat to Sangju Sangmu last time out.
Gangwon sailed to a 3-1 win over FC Seoul in their first home game of the season. However, the Kodiaks will have their work cut out for them when they host the Magpies of Seongnam FC, who have been one of the stingiest defences in the early part of the K-League season.
Seongnam have four points through two matches and are currently fourth in the table. The Magpies will look to keep in touch with the top two — defending champions Jeonbuk Motors and Ulsan Hyundai — by snatching a big away win.
Talking Points
Gangwon FC bring the goals
Gangwon were one of the big winners in the opening weekend of the K-League season after they thrashed FC Seoul 3-1 at home.
But the Kodiaks were sent crashing down to earth after suffering a shock 2-0 defeat to Sangju Sangmu. The K-League 2020 betting odds had Gangwon installed as favourites for that match, but the military men defied the odds and put on a strong performance.
Gangwon are likely going to have these sorts of growing pains, particularly early in the season, as they continue to gel after making several changes to their squad in the off-season. Their only foreign player, Japanese midfielder Takahiro Nakazato, has yet to even feature through the first two games of the season.
Manager Kim Byung-soo’s system — affectionately known as “Byung-soo ball” — has made Gangwon one of the most exciting to watch in the league; despite missing their two of their top goal threats in Kim Ji-hyun and Cho Jae-wan for most of last season, they still finished with 56 goals, second only to the top two teams, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Ulsan Hyundai.
However, their impressive came at the expense of their defensive solidity. They had the third-worst defensive record in the league last season with 58 goals conceded; only relegated sides Jeju United and Gyeongnam FC gave up more goals.
Seongnam FC’s defence still stingy
Similar to Gangwon, the momentum Seongnam had built up after their opening day win against Gwangju stalled with a goalless draw against Incheon United.
The Magpies were far from their best despite dominating 70 per cent of possession. While they created nine shots, only one was on target.
Scoring goals was a major issue for Seongnam last season, their first campaign back in the top division. They only netted 30 times, which was comfortably the fewest in the league. They were particularly defensive when playing outside of Tancheon Stadium, which was why they only scored 13 times away from home.
Their 34-year-old striker Dong-hyen Yang scored both goals in their win over Gwangju, which matched his entire total in 25 matches with J-League side Cerezo Osaka in 2018.
Seongnam tried to address this big weakness in the offseason by bringing in Croatian striker Tomislav Kis as well as Uzbek international midfielder Jamshid Iskanderov. Kis had a terrific season for Zalgiris in the Lithuanian league last year, netting 27 in 31 appearances.
Kis has yet to feature in any of Seongnam’s two games thus far, but he will be poised to finally make some K-League 2020 highlights for manager Kim Nam-il whenever he decides to use him.
Meanwhile, Seongnam’s defence has remained one of the best in the league. They conceded the fourth-fewest goals last season with 40 and have posted back-to-back clean sheets to start this year’s campaign.
History
Gangwon and Seongnam faced off three times last season. Gangwon came out on top 2-1 in their first two meetings, but Seongnam took their last meeting 1-0 at home in September.
While Gangwon got the edge last year, Seongnam have had the advantage over the Kodiaks in recent years. The Magpies have won 11 of their last 21 head-to-heads, Gangwon have won seven, while the two have played out three draws.
Seongnam boast an impressive away record against Gangwon. Six of their 11 wins against the Kodiaks have come at Gangwon.
Betting Tip
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Gangwon FC vs Seongnam FC | Over 2.50 Goals @ 2.42 |
| May 23, 15:30 (GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds have Gangwon as big favourites at 2.02 to get the home win. Seongnam are priced at 3.60 to take all three points away, while a draw is 3.25.
The over-under odds seem to be more appealing than the 1X2 market, though, particularly the over 2.50 goals.
Goals just seem to go in when Gangwon are at home, whether they’re the ones scoring them or conceding. There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 11 of Gangwon FC’s last 13 home games. I expect that trend to continue when Seongnam come to visit.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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