Jubilo Iwata – DF Cho is with the Korean national team, MF Yamamoto is with the Japan U23 team, GK Kawaguchi out for the season, probably.

Omiya Ardija – DFs Tsubouchi and Murakami are confirmed injured. MF Higashi is on U23 duty in France.

Jubilo Iwata (P12 W6 D3 L3 GD +9) will miss Cho and Yamamoto big time, but if Baek is on form, and Maeda is back from Japan duty ready and willing, Jubilo will be firing on most cylinders! Baek has been the driving force in a team that changed, in my opinion, from also-rans, to having a chance of a top six finish – if Baek, in particular stays fit and continues his form.

Omiya Ardija (P12 W4 D3 L5 GD -7) look like a team resigned to a struggle this season but reports state that they will be happy to survive and a target of 50 points at most is what they’ll be happy with! New signings Cho and Shimohira, and U23 starlet Higashi (missing today) can surely not be happy with a team that publicly lacks ambition like that. It won’t help team confidence, but it may give them something to prove. I think we should EXPECT a DRAW!