Head to Head – 7 wins for Sanfrecce, just one for FC Tokyo and 5 draws since 2004, all in J1.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima sit atop the J.League four points clear of Vegalta Sendai, after the clubs around them all dropped points recently. Having said that, Sanfrecce themselves lost at home to S-Pulse when they topped the division two weeks ago so anything can happen with the “Curse of the Top Team” in J1! But FC Tokyo are seriously tiring and showing dire form right now, with fans seriously worried about them dropping into the relegation battle after such a good start to the season. A win for FC Tokyo here would settle the team, go some way to rebuilding shattered confidence and pull them away from a potential nail-biting final two months. But Tokyo are beset with injuries and inconsistencies and I can’t see them taking out a Sanfrecce riding high at the top, especially if Hisashi Sato – J1 top scorer – is allowed time in front of goal.
With five or six teams poised to challenge, if a decent run can be ut together, the fate of Sanfrecce’s Championship aim is in their own hands now and I can not see them losing today.
EXPECT a WIN for SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA!

Sanfrecce Hiroshima – Kazuyuki Morisaki is suspended.
Albirex Niigata – Bruno Lopes is suspended.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima (P8 W5 D1 L2 GD +8) walked all over Kawasaki Frontale at the weekend, away from home to boot, and will be looking to increase the pressure on runaway leaders Vegalta Sendai in this game. Against a team second from bottom after eight games they must fancy themselves to score a few goals! Hisashi Sato is in fine form and his supply from Mikic, in particular, on the right wing is paying huge dividends. Expect more goals for Sanfrecce today.

Albirex Niigata are just dire … EXPECT a WIN for SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA!