'Jeong Hyo ball'-reinvented Suwon Samsung finally sets sail. the opponent is the 'nemesis' Seoul E-Land Group.
Lee Jeong-hyo's Suwon Samsung and Kim Do-gyun's Seoul E-Land Group will face each other in the Hana Bank K League 2 2026 season opener on Feb. 28 at 4:30 p.m. at Suwon World Cup Stadium. it is considered the biggest big match of round 1.
This season K League 2 is receiving hotter attention than ever. with the addition of the 'new teams' Yongin FC, Gimhae FC and Paju Frontier, a total of 17 teams will compete and as many as four teams can be promoted. for Suwon and E-Land Group, who have long awaited promotion, as well as Daegu and Suwon FC, who suffered the pain of relegation, it is a critical opportunity to move up to division 1.
Suwon is especially considered a strong title contender. at the media day, all managers evaluated Lee Jeong-hyo's Suwon as a leading promotion candidate. Lee Jeong-hyo, who has become a 'common enemy,' also said, "If we don't win the title, we should die," throwing down a bold challenge.
Suwon boasts a powerful roster. they heated up the preseason by bringing Lee Jeong-hyo from Gwangju, and were busy in the transfer market. veteran defender Hong Jeong-ho led the defense along with Song Joo-hoon and Lee Jun-jae, and in attack they brought Paesin and Hayes.
In midfield they added Park Hyun-bin and Jung Ho-yeon, then reunited with Ko Seung-beom to put the finishing touch. they strengthened the goal by signing goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong. particularly, there is high expectation because Lee Jeong-hyo's protégé Hayes and Jung Ho-yeon were welcomed.
E-Land Group is also one of the strong promotion contenders along with Suwon. they completed the permanent signing of Euler, and added weight to the front line by signing Park Jae-yong and Kim Hyun. goalkeeper Goh Seong-yun left, but they filled the gap well by bringing Min Seong-jun from Incheon.
Now E-Land Group, under the leadership of Kim Do-gyun in his third year, is determined to realize the long-cherished wish of promotion. he said, "This year's goal is promotion at all costs. i feel sorry to the fans who cheered us and there has been a sense of deficiency, but this time we will surely achieve promotion and make it a year in which all members finish happily. we will do our best," he said emphatically.
If they beat Suwon from the start, they can fasten the first button perfectly. in particular, E-Land Group is a nemesis that boasts an overwhelming advantage of five wins and one loss against Suwon. the fact they have won four and lost one in season openers over the past five seasons also adds confidence.
Kim Do-gyun said, "Many players and a manager have changed at Suwon. i'm worried whether we can take the points we often took from them, but i almost never lost at Big Bird. we will prepare so we can win this time," vowing to spoil Suwon's celebration.
Ahead of the match, the starting lineups for both teams were announced. Suwon will start with Ilyuchenko, Kang Seong-jin, Hayes, Kim Seong-ju, Park Hyun-bin, Kim Min-woo, Lee Geon-hee, Hong Jeong-ho, Park Dae-won and Kim Jun-hong. the starting appearance of 2006-born midfielder Kim Seong-ju is eye-catching. on the bench sit Bruno Silva, Park Gee-won, Kang Hyun-muk, Hong Won-jin, Lee Jun-jae, Ko Jong-hyun, Mo Gyeong-bin and Kim Min-jun.
Facing that, E-Land Group will start with Park Jae-yong, Gabriel, Euler, Baek Ji-ung, Park Chang-hwan, Jo Jun-hyun, Kim Joo-hwan, Kim O-gyu, Park Jin-Young, Oh In-pyo and Min Seong-jun. the substitutes include Kim Hyun, Bae Seo-jun, Aideal, Seo Jin-seok, Kim Hyun-woo, Park Jae-hwan, Osmar and Eom Ye-hun.<
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