– Reysol to Continue Push For the Top!

Kashiwa Reysol – DF Hashimoto is suspended. DF Fujita out for a month. Brazilian FW Neto Baiano has signed for Reysol.

FC Tokyo – MF/DF Takahashi is suspended. GK Gonda and DF Tokunaga are 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.

8 wins for Reysol, 6 for FC Tokyo and 2 draws over the last decade.
Kashiwa Reysol are now top scorers in J1, four points off the top spot, with the likes of Kudo and Sawa, as well as midfielder Leandro Domingues hitting the back of the net frequently., keeping national team selectee Junya Tanaka on the bench often so, why buy a Brazilian forward mid-season? Especially one who failed spectacularly in a previous stint in Japan with JEF United? Neto Baiano has grown since he left Japan but is he good enough to come in and take Reysol to the next level, or will he disrupt the teamwork that has got them this far – wait and see!

FC Tokyo have half a team missing through injury or Olympic duty and will be happy to see the return of Gonda and Tokunaga, at least, next week, but not for this game. With Takahashi suspended, also, their work will be cut out holding off the rampant Reysol attack. Lucas was rested during the week’s Nabisco Cup tie and it also gave Edmilson a chance to get match fit so, if Ishikawa and Hasegawa are firing on all cylinders, FC Tokyo may help in making this a high-scoring game. Tokyo have won only one in the last five league games and are averaging only just over a goal a game, so the forwards need to convert those chances that come from the hard-working midfield. I think a high-scoring draw today? EXPECT a DRAW!