Suwon Samsung vs. Chungnam Asan Preview: Out-of-form duo meet in Big Bird | OneFootball

Suwon Bluewings return to Big Bird for the first time since July 20th and desperately need a good performance and three points after two chastening defeats since their opening round victory. Their opponents on Saturday, Chungnam Asan, are also not where they'd expect to be after three rounds. The match offers a valuable opportunity for Suwon or Asan kickstart their campaign.

Match details

Match: Suwon Samsung vs. Chungnam Asan.

Date: Saturday, March 15th, 2025. 16:30.

Record so far

Suwon Samsung

Played: 3 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 2 Points: 3

Goals For: 3 Goals Against: 6

Position: 10th

Chungnam Asan

Goals For: 2 Goals Against: 4

Position: 13th

Suwon started their season with a 1-0 trashing of lowly Ansan Greeners in Wa~ Stadium. Byun Sung-hwan's team ran the Greeners ragged, notching up 26 shots on goal and 16 on target. There were two schools of thought following the game; the glass half full viewpoint indicated Suwon were really impressive but the ball just wouldn't hit the back of the net. And with the three new high-profile attackers, the future was bright once the team clicked. The glass half empty approach was we've seen this all before. Total domination of possession and territory, countless efforts on goal but scraping home thanks to a dodgy penalty. I was in the first category.

The trip to Incheon would give us a better indication of which glass Suwon fell into. They started reasonably well in a difficult match, and probably just about edged the opening 30 minutes. Then the clubs traded red cards and Incheon, through Gerso Fernandes on the right wing, tore into Suwon. The Bluewings held out until the break but lost another man; Kwon Wan-kyu collecting the most pointless red card in history. Incheon ran out comfortable 2-0 winners. Byun, Suwon's manager, told us afterwards that had they kept it 11 v 11, they would have won.

So round 3 provided another opportunity to assess the Bluewings, should they keep their men on the pitch. But they were blown away against familiar foes Seoul E-Land. Now the message is wait until we return home. They return home this Saturday. Do they deserve another chance to show what they have? As time goes by, I find myself looking closer at the second glass.

Suwon's opponents on Saturday,Chungnam Asan, have also started the new season poorly but it is far too early to say last season was a flash-in-the-pan. Asan, it is worth remembering, were absolutely brilliant in 2024, ending years of midtable mediocrity with a scarcely believable second-placed finish. That set up a two-legged playoff with Daegu FC, which wasn't decided until extra time in the return fixture. Their primary source of goals, Juninho and Park Dee-hoon, have since moved on, which presumably explains why the club is struggling near the foot of the table. Asan opened their campaign at the other beaten playoff team, Seoul E-Land. They fell two nil down before Kim Jong-min set up a grandstand finish. It wasn't to be.

Asan are another club - like Suwon Bluewings and Anyang - who have been forced to open with consecutive away games due to ongoing pitch repairs at Yi Sun-sin. Following the defeat in Mokdong, Asan headed north to face new boys Hwaseong FC. This is a match they'd have targeted for three points at the start of the year and they were on course until Baek Seung-woo struck late for the hosts. If that result represented a major disappointment for Chungnam Asan, then last weekend's loss at local rivals Cheonan City would be even worse. Asan finished 17 points ahead of Cheonan in 2024 but Aboubacar Tungara settled this in the sky-blues' favor with the only goal 13 minutes from time.

Suwon risk losing the goodwill of their fans

For the third match in a row, the away end at a Suwon Samsung game was sold out. That's approximately 12,000 supporters following the underperforming team to Ansan, Incheon, and Seoul. And they probably could have brought another 50% on top of that. How long will the supporters show up if the team continues to be a major source of disappointment? The people running the club can be extremely thankful the atmosphere hasn't turned toxic. At this point, you would understand if it had. The worst part is not that we've seen it all before; notably, the concession of the first goal (two from three this season) which was a hallmark of their previous campaign. But that the one area they could pin their hopes - a solid defense - has been obliterated. They recruited Jeong Dong-yoon to replace Lee Si-yong before adding Kwon Wan-kyu and Léo Andrade for depth. However, in their last two games, Suwon have leaked six goals. That's one-sixth of their total number for 2024. The four that Seoul E-Land dispatched were the most conceded in a single match for 18 months.

The timing of their long-awaited return to the World Cup Stadium couldn't have been scripted any better, even though Suwon's home record was mediocre in 2024. They were beaten by Busan IPark, Cheonan City (twice), Bucheon FC 1995, and Seoul E-Land before moving to Yongin. In 11 Big Bird matches, they won just four. Byun Sung-hwan cut a dispirited figure following the Incheon loss. He told the assembled media he cried after the game. I didn't even check how he felt after the Seoul E-Land debacle. But if the manager feels his message isn't getting through, and the team is clearly underperforming, then what remains of his tenure? He needs to get his selection right at the weekend - which means dropping Matheus Serafim for Paulinho and considering a 4-4-2 - and then hope the calamitous defending can be fixed in training. Club captain and goalkeeper Yang Hyeong-mo has been absent since the opening day. Suwon are simply a better team when he's between the sticks. However, the excuses are running thin. It is time to deliver on Saturday or the team will have to contend with a very disgruntled fanbase.

Hangover or a return to normality? Where are Asan in 2025?

It is difficult to precisely put into words just how improbable Chungnam Asan's second place finish was last year. This was, many observers thought, the toughest K League 2 season to date given the Suwon Bluewings had been relegated for the first time, Busan IPark were still around following their epic collapse in 2023, perennial challengers Anyang had recruited strongly and were under new management, and, not to be undone, Seoul E-Land were under the guidance of Kim Do-gyun, fresh from keeping Suwon FC in K League 1. Even Seongnam were thought to have a title-winning squad at their disposal. And yet, despite that level of competition, lowly Chungnam Asan finished above everyone bar Anyang. Automatic promotion would have been theirs had Asan accumulated just three more points. Success means different things to different clubs, but 2024 was undoubtedly a major success for Chungnam Asan. And this was despite playing in front of a tepid 2,487 average gate.

Unfortunately for Asan, once promotion wasn't achieved, they were always going to be asset stripped. Jung Ma-ho is still there, and hopefully the latest rebuild of the club will happen around the immense talents of the 20-year-old midfielder. 12-goal winger Juninho Rocha has packed his bags after one excellent season at the club. The Brazilian, who made the Best XI, joined cup winners Pohang Steelers but hasn't made a big impact yet. Forward Park Dae-hoon has also departed, this time to Pohang's rivals Daegu FC. Most significantly of all, perhaps, was the loss over the winter break of manager Kim Hyun-seok. The burly Kim was only in the Asan hotseat for a single season but he departed for fellow promotion challengers Jeonnam Dragons. He has been replaced by 45-year-old Bae Sung-jae, who was part of the backroom staff in 2024. Bae cut his teeth in coaching at Bangkok FC but these are massive boots to fill. At the time of publication, Jeonnam are joint-top and unbeaten in the first three matches. It is far too early to make concrete predictions, yet this was always going to be a very difficult season for Asan, and so it is proving right now. Was 2024 a one-off or will the team be able to replicate such a campaign again? A win on Saturday would help win over the doubters.

Bruno Silva, Suwon Samsung

According to the K League, Bruno Silva recorded a rating of 6.8 on his return to Mokdong. This seems harsh. Even though Suwon had a spectacular off-day defensively, Silva was comfortably their most dangerous and creative player. The Brazilian started on the left side of Suwon's front three, before crossing over at half-time. He returned to his favored left wing spot when Paulinho replaced Serafim. A minute before the Bluewings equalized on Sunday, Bruno Silva burned Seoul's Kwak Yoon-ho on the left touchline. The turn of pace was frightening. Yoon picked up a yellow card for carving Silva open as he ghosted past. There were only 18 minutes played and everyone knew the 25-year-old had the beating of his man. And yet, instead of looking to inflict more punishment on the carded Yoon, Byun opted to shift his wide men at the break. If Bruno Silva starts on Saturday, he'll have a splendid new turf to play on. It promises to be something special; but it can only be positive if the team stops turning basic defending into comedy.

Son Jun-ho, Chungnam Asan

A decorated footballer during his career in Korea and China, Son Jun-ho is no stranger to K League fans. The defensive midfielder collected three K League titles with Jeonbuk, one Korean Cup, one Chinese Super League, and two Chinese Cups with Shandong Taishen. His time in China came to an end in highly suspicious circumstances before he returned to Korea early last season to join Suwon FC. It was expected he'd return to Jeonju Castle but to everyone's surprise he signed on at Castle Park. Son was influential in helping relegation candidates Suwon motor up the table and into the championship picture before his contract was rescinded in the summer. That opened the door for Chungnam Asan to add the 20-times capped midfielder to their ranks. There's a lot about Son's story we don't fully understand, but what we do know is he can still be a very influential player, especially in the second division. Son has started two of Asan's three games, and come off the bench in the other. He's no stranger to Big Bird and one feels he'll enjoy another battle with Jeonbuk's great rivals from Gyeonggi-do.

Record

The Bluewings played their first-ever K League 2 game against Chungnam Asan. It was the most K League 2 of opening fixtures for the fallen giants of Korean football. 14,196 paid through the gates and saw 10-man Suwon hold on for 2-1 win, courtesy of a Fejsal Mulić double. As we would later discover, both Suwon and Mulić flattered to deceive that year. Asan exacted some revenge with a 1-0 win at Yi Sun-sin in May, but the final meeting between the clubs ended with another 2-1 Suwon victory. None of the games have been pretty, and Saturday's probably won't be either.

Prediction

Who knows. Suwon will want to return to winning ways after spending the last nine months away from Big Bird. I predict they'll start nervously in front of their (so far) patient fans. If they start poorly and Asan do what every club does - score first - then the fans will start to turn on the players. A quick start is needed and hopefully an early goal. Either way, this will be a slugfest with Suwon dominant but hanging on. Nothing we haven't seen before.