FC Anyang vs. Gimcheon Sangmu Preview: Anyang finally return home after difficult start | OneFootball

FC Anyang return home after beginning their debut season in K League 1 with three consecutive away games. Their opponents are Gimcheon Sangmu, familiar foes due to the army club's regular incursions into the second tier. After losing two straight, Anyang will be desperate to pick up at least a point in front of their supporters.

Match details

Match: FC Anyang vs. Gimcheon Sangmu.

Date: Saturday, March 8th, 2025. 16:30.

Record so far

FC Anyang

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

Goals For: 3 Goals Against: 4

Position: 10th

Gimcheon Sangmu

Goals For: 4 Goals Against: 4

Position: 7th

FC Anyang got off to a dream start in front of nearly 20,000 fans at Ulsan's Munsu Stadium. On the backfoot for most of the match, they never felt under any great danger until Kim Pan-gon rang the changes in the second half. The last 10 minutes were a barrage of shots, and the visitors were hanging on. But just when they needed a little bit of quality, Yago played a one-two with Matheus Oliveira before sending in a sumptuous cross for Bruno Mota to power home at the back post. Munsu collapsed in shock as Anyang's players celebrated wildly in front of their fans. No matter what else happens between now and November, Anyang will always have Munsu.

A week later they were on the road again, this time in Sangam. A crowd of 40,000 ensured this would be the biggest game of Anyang's history, and who better to play against than FC Seoul, the club that once called Anyang home. The Violets were arguably better in defeat than victory but a combination of bad luck and sloppy defending saw Seoul register their first win of the year. That was followed by another 2-1 defeat, this time in Gwangju. Anyang took an early lead through Mota's header, but they were undone by The Jasir Asani Show in the second half. The Albanian's winner, in the 87th minute, took the slightest knick off Thomas to fly above the outstretched arms of Kim Da-sol.

Anyang's opponents on Saturday,Gimcheon Sangmu, have combined the brilliant with the drab this season. With a win, draw, and loss to their name, Gimcheon are one point ahead of Anyang but still a long way shy of their brilliant 2024 form. Their season began with a 2-1 loss in Jeonju. Both sides looked to play on the front foot - there were 27 shots on goal and 14 on target combined - but Jeonbuk were deserved winners. Gimcheon took a one goal lead into the break that lasted five minutes, before Jeon Jin-woo struck late.

Following that disappointment, Gimcheon flew to Jeju and played another exciting game featuring five goals and plenty of chances. The game was a reversal of the contest in Jeonju. The Islanders led twice only to be undone in the 89th minute by on-loan Gyeongnam forward Won Ki-jong. Gimcheon boarded the plane and headed for a Monday afternoon showdown with FC Seoul to mark their third straight away game. This match was not a classic. After the fun-filled events in Jeonju and Jeju, Sangam was a letdown. Gimcheon registered two shots on goal - none on target - but conceded a whopping 15 fouls.

Will we see a change in Anyang's philosophy?

Intriguingly, Anyang went with a hybrid 4-4-2 formation for Saturday's trip to Gwangju, featuring an unusually advanced role for defensive midfielder Eduardo Jacinto de Biasi. Eduardo played up front alongside Mota, despite featuring as a late replacement in both of Anyang's first two games in his more familiar position of deep-lying midfielder. There was no indication pre-match that Eduardo could play the role as a second striker, but the Brazilian was excellent. Matheus Oliveira made way for his compatriot, after a tired outing against Seoul. Eduardo was more direct that Oliveira, taking on defenders and looking to get to the byline.

Despite his impressive showing, it would be a surprise if Anyang kept faith with the same side again. For their first home game, and now in need of a point after two understandable defeats, manager Ryu Byeong-hoon should look to utilize the pace and trickery of Yago Cesar from the start. Even as Anyang closed in the K League 2 title, they often set up in a 4-5-1 formation at home, looking to catch teams on the break. Will we see a change from that this weekend? I highly doubt it. But Yago is due a start after three substitute appearances so far. If Ryu starts Yago with Oliveira and Mota, it would be a very tasty selection.

Beauty or the Beast? Which Gimcheon side will arrive in Bisan-dong this weekend?

A point in Seoul is not to be sniffed at but on a bitterly cold day in the capital, Gimcheon were horrendous. Fatigue can't be counted as an excuse; the season is only three weeks old and while the army team have played all their matches on the road, they were afforded extra rest before visiting Seoul. They played Jeju on a Saturday and then pitched up nine days later against their fellow championship outsiders. If the terrible pitch quality canceled both teams out, you could possibly excuse the performance, but this wasn't a defensive masterclass. Seoul wasted a half dozen great chances and Gimcheon were lucky to escape. But they won't care; they played much better in round one and still came away with nothing.

Saturday's meeting brings to an end a four-game run on the road but what Gimcheon side will turn up? My feeling is much closer to the one which created a bag full of chances in their opening two games. Any side featuring Mo Jae-hyeon, Lee Dong-jun, Lee Dong-gyeong, and Yoo Gang-hyeon is unlikely to be as insipid two games on the trot. This will be the first outing of the season in Anyang after the local council invested in a new pitch over the winter. Pitch quality has been a major talking point in recent weeks, with high profile players critiquing the turf, and Jeonbuk's AFC 2 game moved to Yongin. Both Anyang and Gimcheon have artists in their line ups. We can only hope the grass doesn't cut up easily because we should be in for a good contest.

Bruno Mota, FC Anyang

Initial concerns about Mota's ability to make the leap to K League 1 have ended. Not every successful second division striker is capable of performing against more established stars, such as Pohang's Jorge Luiz, but Mota is a live contender for player of the month. It isn't just the goals - and he scored twice in three away games. The Brazilian is excellent in the air, wins plenty of free kicks, and presses particularly well. Naturally, as a striker, it is goals that stand out. He has scored both of Anyang's this season and came close to adding another with a stunning chest and volley against Seoul. His injury time winner against Ulsan HD brought tears to the eyes of many in the away end. It was textbook Bruno Mota. He spent 92 lonely minutes scraping for every ball to relieve the pressure on his under siege defense but when the one chance came his way, he buried it. Saturday's opener in Gwangju was all about anticipating where the ball would drop, and then using his immense physicality to barge his way to the ball.

Lee Dong-gyeong, Gimcheon Sangmu

Lee Dong-gyeong is a joy to watch. The 27-year-old has been superb this season, especially in the first two matches. He was easily Gimcheon's best player against Jeonbuk Motors, and it was his wonderful cross from the right that set up the first goal. Wearing distinctive orange boots, the Ulsan HD man opened his left foot and delivered a peach of a cross for Yoo Gang-hyeon to poke home. Yoo may have applied the finish - and his timing was top class - but this was all about Lee. The TV commentary team were salivating in delight, and referred to it as a "wondergoal." A week later, Lee was at the peak of his powers against Jeju. That he won the man-of-the-match award was no surprise, but what stood out was how much better he was compared to every other player on the park. It was in Seogwipo he scored his first of the season, and it was ridiculously good. Collecting a pass, he fainted left allowing the ball to run between the legs of his opponent. Then he turned on the afterburners, before cutting inside, dribbling past four defenders, and then firing into the bottom left corner. Gimcheon are a good team but stopping Lee will go a long way towards taking at least a point off them. But, how does one do that?

Record

Gimcheon Sangmu won the last meeting between these clubs just a couple of months before they stole automatic promotion from under the noses of Busan IPark. That victory is the only one over Anyang since the Sangmu club departed Sangju for Gimcheon. Of the other six meetings, Anyang have recorded two wins with the other four being draws. Three times the teams have played out a 0-0 draw. Normally I wouldn't predict a goalless draw, but due to the poor quality of pitches in Korea, there's every chance this could end in a stalemate.

Prediction

This game has draw written all over it. Anyang will be cautious - and probably a bit nervous - in front of their home fans, but they've enough quality to manufacture goal scoring chances. It sounds simple, but all they need to do is lob crosses into Bruno Mota, and the big man will eventually steer one home. I wouldn't be surprised if Gimcheon took the lead. Score draw.

FC Anyang 1-1 Gimcheon Sangmu