The 2020 K-League season did not start well for Suwon Bluewings. The club were played off the park against reigning league champions Jeonbuk to kick off the season, losing 1-0.
Now, Suwon host Ulsan on Sunday after the latter thrashed Sangju Sangmu 4-0 on opening day. Courtesy of that 4-0 victory, Ulsan sit atop the K-League due to goal difference. Another win, this time away in Suwon, will position Ulsan as one of the title favourites this campaign.
Ulsan were runner-up to champions Jeonbuk a year ago only due to goal difference. Now, the Horangi aim to go one better and lift the league trophy.
Suwon mounted very little offence against Jeonbuk with last season’s 20-goal scorer Adam Taggart completely anonymous. Taggart barely touched the ball and made little effort to move into the midfield and be a part of the game.
Not only was Taggart a non-factor in attack, but the Bluewings lost combative midfielder Terry Antonis to a second-half red card. He will miss Sunday’s game against Ulsan.
Suwon manager Lee Lim-saeng will hope his team bring their shooting boots this weekend. They managed zero shots on target versus Jeonbuk. Suwon only kept 40% of possession on matchday 1.
The Bluewings will certainly be a stronger opponent for Ulsan this weekend. The Horangi were 2-0 up at halftime and put two more goals past Sangju Sangmu in the second period.
Junior Negao scored twice for Ulsan with both goals coming in the first period. Negao bagged 19 goals last term, the second-most in the K-League.
Surprisingly, Ulsan collected only 48% of the ball. It is likely that they will concede the ball to Suwon on Sunday preferring to hit the home team on the counter-attack.
Ulsan have dominated their last six meeting versus Suwon Bluewings in all competitions. The Horangi have won four times and drawn two games against the Bluewings in six straight fixtures.
The two clubs met three times in 2019 with Ulsan winning on all three occasions. Two of the three fixtures saw over 2.5 goals scored and both sides find the back of the net. Twice in 2019 Ulsan went to Suwon and won away from home.
Games between Suwon Bluewings and Ulsan tend to see goals. There have been 22 goals in their last six games in all competitions. That is an average of 3.7 goals per game. Matches also see aggressive play as 20 yellow cards have been handed out in games to these two teams.
Suwon looked poor in their season opener and if Ulsan can play like they did versus Sangju Sangmu, they will pick up another win versus the home side.
Once again, the two clubs should combine for over 2.5 goals scored with both finding the back of the net. Ulsan should win a fourth straight game and continue their dominance versus Suwon.