Urawa Reds – MF Naoki Yamada is out for the season. MF Kashiwagi is suspended.
FC Tokyo – GK Gonda, DF/MF Tokunaga and MF Yonemoto are all with the Olympic team. MF Otake is out for the season. DF Jang out for three months. MF Hanyu out for at least another month.

Over the last decade it’s 13 wins for Reds, just two for Tokyo (with four draws) and those Tokyo wins were in 2003 and 2004!
Urawa Reds have made a huge improvement this season under coach Petrovic after two seasons of under-performing. The fact that they are still riding high after more than half the season shows they mean business. 2012-arrived internationals like Makino and Abe have improved the squad dramatically and, while they have had problems scoring, a return to fitness for Popo, and some consistency from Haraguchi – looking to prove that he should have been at the Olympics – will see them in good stead in forthcoming games and allow them to push for the Championship.

FC Tokyo are affected by a long injury list and players at the London Olympics – with GK Gonda in London, though, Shiota – a good keeper in his own right – has a chance to shine and the team will not be lacking in that department. Tokunaga is missed, though – he was the main man allowing the fans to forget the departure of Konno to Gamba Osaka. They will struggle against a rampant Reds! If Ishikawa is fit, he could well be the man to unlock the Urawa defence, especially if Makino goes on attacking runs too often – Ishikawa is the man to take advantage of space left behind.
EXPECT a WIN for URAWA REDS!