Albirex Niigata – DF Uchida out for the season.

Shimizu S-Pulse – MF Shinji Ono is suffering recurring ankle problems and should be considered doubtful.

Very even over the last ten seasons, eight wins each and five draws in 21 meetings over the last decade.

Albirex Niigata (P13 W2 D3 L8 GD -12) have a new manager in Nobuhiro Ueno, after former manager Hisashi Kurosaki stepped down due to a disappointing start to the season. While the players will all be looking to impress a new boss, the current crop of players have shown little in the way of fight in their previous games and I can’t see any major change under a new manager.

Meanwhile, Shimizu S-Pulse (P13 W7 D2 L4 GD +4) have only conceded 11 goals so far this season, although they have only scored 15 in their 13 games – two goals in their last four games, included one win and two draws! This one could be a low-scoring win for the away team, although I fancy S-Pulse to open the floodgates finally and notch more than one goal this time. Expect a WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!