Newly-promoted Gwangju host Seongnam at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium on Saturday as the 2020 K League 1 season gets under way.
Given the ongoing coronavirus issues, the campaign has been pushed back several months. The new South Korean top-flight season was due to start in February, but it will now begin this weekend.
Gwangju won promotion to K League 1 after winning the second-tier title last term. Park Jin-sub's side only lost five of their 36 league games in 2019, finishing seven points clear at the top of K League 2.
Despite only forming in 2010, it’s fair to say that Gwangju have endured a turbulent existence so far. They have already experience two relegations and two promotions during their short time as a club.
However, after dominating in the second division last season, Gwangju will be hoping to establish themselves as a solid top-flight side this time around.
Brazilian duo Felipe Silva and Willyan shone for Gwangju last term, with the former finishing as both the club and the division’s top scorer.
At the other end of the pitch, another standout performer can be found at centre-back in the form of Uzbekistan international Rustamzhon Ashurmatov.
By contrast, Seongnam will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing campaign last year which saw them finish 9th in K League 1.
Seongnam are one of the stalwarts of South Korean football, winning seven titles between 1993 and 2006. In fact, no club has won more K League 1 titles.
But Seongnam have gone downhill of late and recently spent two seasons in the second tier before gaining promotion back to the top flight in 2018.
Kim Nam-il's side were the lowest scorers in the division last season, managing just 30 goals in 38 games. To their credit, only three teams boasted a better defensive record.
However, the January loan signing of former Croatia U21 international Tomislav Kis will surely give the team a cutting edge in attack.
After notching up 27 goals and eight assists in just 34 appearances for Lithuanian club Zalgiris Vilnius, Kis is likely to be challenging at the top of the goalscoring charts this term.
Looking at the head-to-head record between the two teams, Gwangju have only lost one of their previous seven matches against Seongnam.
It’s also worth pointing out that Seongnam have won just one of their last seven away games in K League 1.
Furthermore, Gwangju scored in all but one of their last 23 league games in 2019, losing on just five occasions during that period.
Seongnam’s dismal goalscoring record coupled with Gwangju’s momentum means Forebet predicts that Gwangju will win this game while keeping a clean sheet.