Incheon United vs. Suwon Bluewings Preview: Early Season Contenders Face-Off | OneFootball

This Saturday, Suwon Samsung Bluewings travel north to face Incheon United. This match will see a rivalry renewed after a season apart. The clubs are no strangers to each other, having met on 42 occasions. However, this weekend's game will be the first time they have met in the second division. With both teams looking to return to the top flight, what is normally a fiery affair could have even more edge.

Opening Day

Incheon United vs. Gyeongnam FC

Incheon opened their first-ever K League 2 campaign with a home game against Gyeongnam, a team that finished second-bottom last season but also know the pain of relegation from K League 1. The clubs last met in the league’s top division in 2019, when Incheon travelled to the south coast hoping to avoid defeat in order to retain their K League 1 status. This past weekend’s affair was far less tense, as Incheon controlled the game and attacked from the outset.

In the first half, the home side came close to breaking the deadlock when a Lee Ju-yong shot from the edge of the box sparked a goalmouth scramble, leading to a good double save from efforts by Stefan Mugosa and Gerso Fernandes. Towards the end of the first half, Mugosa headed just over and just wide before a Gerso shot was again well saved by Won-woo Ryu in the Gyeongnam goal, as the away side held on to go into the break on level terms.

In reality, it was one-way traffic and only a matter of time before Incheon broke the deadlock. Park Seung-ho fired straight at the keeper early in the second half, squandering a chance he really should have finished from 18 yards. Lee Myoung-joo was next to be guilty of a miss when he failed to find the far post from seven yards out after good interplay between Kim Do-hyeok and Gerso on the edge of the area.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 80th minute when a lofted pass caught the Gyeongnam defence flat-footed, allowing Mugosa to lift the ball over the onrushing keeper. A few moments later, Won-woo Ryu dropped the ball over his line from a cross under pressure from Mo Barrow, but VAR ruled the goal out for an offside in the build-up. With the goal initially given, an incensed Ryu was booked for his protests about Barrow’s challenge. In the aftermath, Ryu barged into the referee, seemingly demonstrating physically how he felt Barrow had challenged him.

Barrow was again involved as Incheon finally made the game safe, producing good work on the left wing before delivering a pinpoint pass to Kim Seong-min, who was unmarked in the box and able to fire home. The drama wasn’t quite over, as in the seventh minute of added time, Barrow found Mugosa on the edge of the box, and a superb first-time, left-footed shot flew into the goal. Unfortunately, this was once again ruled out for an offside in the build-up.

Incheon will face a stiffer challenge this weekend, but they will be happy with the victory and the manner in which it came about.

Ansan Greeners vs. Suwon Samsung Bluewings

After a frankly disastrous 2024, optimism was high in Suwon ahead of the new season. The club recruited well, in defense and attack, and several new players made their debuts against Ansan Greeners on a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon. The Bluewings departed with the three points following a narrow 1-0 victory, but, in reality, this was the most comprehensive one-score trashing you're likely to see.

The frustrating thing from a Bluewings perspective is we've seen this movie before. Plenty of possession and territory, simple chances, and fluffed lines. But the visiting fans had plenty of reason to be very pleased with what they saw. Manager Byun Sung-hwan handed debuts to two wide forwards - Bruno Silva and Serafim - who destroyed their opposite numbers throughout the match. Serafim will be disappointed that he blazed over the bar with two simple chances, but otherwise he was excellent. Bruno Silva didn't win Man of the Match, but he should have. He was Suwon's creator in chief and it was his harassing and pressure which led to the penalty that settled the game.

Stanislav Iljutcenko had to make-do with a place on the bench but as he approaches his mid-30's, it is clear Suwon will target specific games to start their big name summer recruit. Despite only featuring in the last few minutes, Iljutcenko could have scored a hat-trick such was the control Suwon had on the contest. Other new signings to impress were centre-back Léo Andrade and full back Jeong Dong-yun, who joined from this weekend's opponents, Incheon United.

Suwon review courtesy of Andrew Farrell

Pundits' Favourites

With only one guaranteed promotion place available, both sides will be looking to deprive the other of valuable points in the race to reach K League 1. Incheon and Suwon are considered the main promotion contenders this season, with it being seen as a toss-up as to which finishes top of the table come November.

Incheon were able to minimise squad changes over the winter break and come into the new season with many of the hard-hitters that had them challenging for continental football only 18 months ago. With the addition of Mo Barrow, Lee Ju-yong, Kim Myoung-sun, and Lee Dong-ryul, one might argue that the team is stronger than the one that featured last season.

Suwon, meanwhile, have strengthened their side following last year's disappointing sixth-place finish, in which they missed out on the play-offs to Busan I'Park by virtue of goals scored. Stanislav Iljuchenko has joined from FC Seoul to directly address this lack of goals. After enjoying success at Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Iljuchenko inexplicably found himself surplus to requirements at Seoul, despite finding the net 14 times in 36 appearances last year. Brazilian compatriots Matheus Serafim and Léo Andrade have moved to Suwon, while Seoul Eland forward Bruno Silva has also signed, as Suwon try to make amends for last year's poor showing in front of goal.

This early-season meeting could set the tone for what is to come this year. If both promotion favourites pick up points consistently against other teams, it could be matches like this that eventually separate them come the end of the season.

Key Players

Last weekend, both teams faced weaker opposition, which was reflected in the statistics for the game. Incheon had 19 shots, with 11 on target, while Suwon had 22 shots, with 12 on target. Both clubs appear to have adopted a more attacking style of football. With this in mind, each team's defence will need to be in top form going into this match.

Stefan Mugosa

For Incheon, Mugosa remains their main attacking threat, and last year's K League Golden Boot winner is already off the mark this season, having scored a well-timed lob to put Incheon ahead last weekend. Mugosa has scored five goals in total against Suwon, with four coming in his last four outings. When discussing his reasons for staying at Incheon, he emphasized his determination to see the club promoted back to K League 1. Ignoring offers from other clubs, Mugosa has stated his desire to remain at Incheon for the rest of his career.

If Mugosa can retain his form from last year, fans can expect him to improve on his 15-goal return from 2024. He showed a glimpse of what could be last Saturday with two excellent first-time finishes. He is sure to find more time and space to score in the second division. For his first goal, he had the freedom of the area to lift the ball over an onrushing keeper. His second—a sweet first-time finish from the edge of the box—was ruled out for offside in the build-up after a lengthy VAR discussion.

Games like this weekend’s will prove more challenging for Incheon, and also for Mugosa, as they battle a team vying to return to K League 1 themselves. With this in mind, Mugosa will be all the more important in this weekend's clash. His goals, skill, and ability could prove to be the difference between the two teams.

Yang Hyeong-mo

The temptation here is to pick new signing and already fan favourite Stanislav Iljutcenko, who will surely start his first game for the Bluewings on Saturday. The big striker played just four minutes off the bench during last weekend's difficult match at Wa~ Stadium, as the club looks to manage his minutes. However, the key to Suwon's chances of leaving Incheon with at least a point rests on their captain and goalkeeper, Yang Hyeong-mo.

Despite missing a chunk of 2024 due to injury (he still played 28 games), Yang was arguably Suwon's best player, marshalling the league's best defence and keeping eight clean sheets. Notably, they never kept a team scoreless when he was out. Yang is a strong shot-stopper and remains agile as he approaches the autumn of his career. The task of keeping Incheon off the scoreboard is a daunting one, especially with Stefan Mugosa leading the line. However, if Yang delivers a flawless performance, Suwon will fancy their chances of heading south with a result.

Courtesy of Andrew Farrell

Head-to-Head

The last time the clubs met, Incheon ran out 2-0 winners. The game, in September 2023, took place just a few weeks before Suwon were relegated to K League 2. Mugosa and Cheon Seong-hoon were on target for Incheon. Suwon's last win in this fixture came nearly two years ago, when a Lee Ki-jae free-kick was the difference between the teams, securing then-bottom club Suwon their first win of the season.

In 42 competitive games between the clubs, Incheon have nine wins to Suwon's 19, with 14 draws. Incheon's home record in this fixture is slightly better, with both clubs having won seven games each across 22 meetings. The last five games between the clubs have produced two Incheon wins, two draws, and one Suwon win.