Kawasaki Frontale v. Consadole Sapporo at Todoroki – Sapporo to Scrape a Point Off Dire Frontale?
Team News
Kawasaki Frontale – GK Nishibe, DF Morishita, MF Inamoto and FW Kobayashi all out through injury.
Consadole Sapporo – DF Takaki is suspended. The team have no new injuries to report but a long list of players who are not match fit.
Head to Head – 2008 Nabisco Cup is the only time Consadole have beaten Frontale in 13 matches since 2003, with 10 wins for Frontale and 2 draws.
Match Preview – Last week’s fortunate win – it seems – for Frontale may well have saved them from an immediate relegation fight and, with Consadole Sapporo clinging to the bottom all season, this SHOULD be another win for Frontale, especially at home – who would bet against them in this match? But the Kawasaki club have been poor all season and, while a chance of manager brought a little mid-table hope for a while, even a top three shot at one point, it’s been all downhill for a while now and only last week’s poor display but big result and a win today will allow the team to relax for the final month or so? Then, at the end of the season, the position of the manager, and perhaps the fact that he is playing his two sons
needs to be examined a little more! If the Kazama brothers can show their true talent in the next few games, all will be good, if not …?
Consadole Sapporo – what can you say about them that isn’t negative? Bottom all season, heading for a record low in points and a record high in goals conceded, they may just be the worst team to ever play in J1? Injuries didn’t help, but then bringing in the likes of Tele and Ramon as new foreigners arguably made them worse? They must have been cheap, and recommended by agents with no qualms at taking the money. Poor Australian international Jade North – who arrived from FC Tokyo this season – must wonder what he did to upset the football gods! I can see nothing here expct a WIN for KAWASAKI FRONTALE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shimizu S-Pulse v. Vegalta Sendai at Nihondaira – S-Pulse to Make it Hard for Vegalta!
Team News
Shimizu S-Pulse – Takagi is set to return, probably from the bench, after a hamstring injury. Alex Brosque will say goodbye to S-Pulse fans after making the move to Al-Ain in UAE. DF/MF Matsumura is suspended. DF Yoshida needs a fitness test.
Vegalta Sendai – MF Sekiguchi is considered doubtful.
Head to Head – Sendai’s only win against S-Pulse came in J1 in 2003. It’s 4 wins for S-Pulse and 1 draw in 5 meetings since Vegalta returned to J1 in 2010.
Match Preview – S-Pulse have lost Alex Brosque to the UAE and reports say Shinji Ono is lining up a move to the A-League. last week’s defeat may well have put paid to any lingering title hopes but a top three spot is still not out of reach and two cups are also to play for, so the money made on the sale of Brosque should be able to go to rebuilding for a tilt at the title in 2013. With the likes of Ishige coming out of the youth programme, and Omae and Takagi blossoming the future looks bright but Kim has to start scoring – then the team may look a little more complete.
Vegalta Sendai are an enigma – many critics are still waiting for the bubble to burst and the inexperience to show. Well, this time last year the bubble WAS bursting so they’ve experienced that and it may help make sure it doesn’t happen again. The loss to Sanfrecce two games back was hard to take but a plucky come-from-behind win against Vissel last week will have helped bring back the confidence. This is a must win for Vegalta, but I feel it may well be a WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sanfrecce Hiroshima v. Sagan Tosu at Hiroshima Big Arch – … and Tosu to Make it Hard for Sanfrecce!
Team News
Sanfrecce Hiroshima – nothing to report! Mikic appears to be fit again …
Sagan Tosu – DF Niwa is suspended.
Head to Head – Tosu’s solitary win against Sanfrecce came at home in J1 this season. In the Nabisco Cup Sanfrecce destroyed Tosu and in previous J2 meetings since 2003 we see 6 wins for Sanfrecce and a draw!
Match Preview – Sanfrecce beat fellow title-challengers Vegalta two weeks ago and then got a VERY late winner last week through Moriwaki – the signs of a title winner? They do not have the experience of being on top and the pressure may tell, while Sagan Tosu have nothing to lose at all. If Tosu don’t worry about an ACL spot for 2013 and just play like they can – efficiently and calmly, the best defence in the league might well keep out J1’s top scorer, Sato. What Sanfrecce do well is being patient, persevering (see last week’s late win), and score goals… will they be able to do that against such a strong defence?
Sagan have not got that many goals this season – just 33 – but if they can hold off Sanfrecce with their solid defence I think that this can be a low scoring game with Sanfrecce dropping points, and IF Tosu’s forwards are in form, and Toyoda is fully fit they might even shock Sanfrecce with a few goals. I can see Tosu getting a point where many expect nothing? EXPECT a DRAW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FC Tokyo v. Jubilo Iwata at Ajinomoto – Tokyo to Kill Off Jubilo Title Hopes?
Team News
FC Tokyo – MF Kaga joined the injury list that includes Otake, as a long term victim. FW Hirayama, MF Kawano and DF Ota are all on the road to recovery and could be in contention for selection.
Jubilo Iwata – MFs Matsuoka, Baek, Kitaji and Sakurauchi are all out testing the midfield resources of the team. FW Kanazono is approaching fitness after a long break. GK Kawaguchi is still recovering from an Achilles operation.
Head to Head – 21 meetings since 2004 with 8 wins each and 5 draws, historically anything can happen!
Match Preview – FC Tokyo are having an up and down season, beset by injuries and having an initial unsuccessful ACL campaign to think about too, so have suffered from wild inconsistency – they beat Sanfrecce earlier this month, but then have lost to Omiya Ardija and a dire Kawasaki Frontale, who must have wondered how they got the points. They have reached what many think is the magic number of 37 points to avoid relegation, with 8 games to go, so can relax a little but, if they are to rise up the table must string some wins together. They are just five points behind Jubilo, so a win here could go a long way to placating bored fans looking for some action!
Jubilo Iwata, on the other hand, have been so close to breaking into that top three so many times, and then fall back. Last week they were held scoreless (the first time this season?) by lowly Albirex Niigata when they could have moved to within a point of Urawa Reds. who lost big time against Gamba. The injuries have piled up for Jubilo this season but they have a decent, deep squad and have pulled through quite effectively at times, when it seemed another key player was missing. Baek is still out and he IS a big loss, for me. Perhaps the pressure of aiming for that top three spot is finally telling? EXPECT a DRAW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Albirex Niigata v. Nagoya Grampus at Tohoku Den – Grampus to Push Albirex Deeper Into Trouble!
Team News
Albirex Niigata – MFs Nakamura and Uchida are long term injuries, no other problems reported.
Nagoya Grampus – Reserve GK Takagi is out, MF Isomura long term injury victim.
Head to Head – 21 meetings since 2004 with 8 wins each and 5 draws, a very even history!
Match Preview – Albirex have ground out 2 vital draws in their last two games – a late PK gave them a point at Gamba after a 2nd half onslaught and last week they held high-scoring Jubilo Iwata to a scorless draw but, with Omiya, Gamba and Cerezo all winning, they lost ground in the race for safety and must win games to survive now. To win games they need to score goals and that is something they can’t do this season – 17 goals in 26 games is a sad return but their tight defence has kept them in some games… now the forwards have to do their job! The forwards at Niigata have been a BIG disappointment this season! They can’t do worse than give Hirai an extended chance to prove himself before they hit J2. When playing regularly he hit the net with ease for Gamba, but in and out off the bench is not good for confidence.
Nagoya Grampus succumbed to a VERY late winner against Sanfecce last week when a win would have taken them to within three points of that team. Instead they find themselves off the lead by 9 points with 8 games to go – havetheir title hopes been shattered? Who knows – it is so tight at the top anything could happen but Nagoya MUST win this one to keep in touch. This week saw the news that Kennedy had been refused a move to UAE (Alex Brosque went instead) and that could be the key to their season. The big man makes space and chances for those around him and, with Tamada fit again, and Nagai returning from suspension, that Niigata defence had better beware! EXPECT a WIN for NAGOYA GRAMPUS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vissel Kobe v. Cerezo Osaka at Home’s – Vissel Kobe to Win This Six-Pointer!
Team News
Vissel Kobe – DF Hayashi is out for the season, FW Tashiro is having treatment on a muscle injury.
Cerezo Osaka – FW Nagai has confirmed a loan move to Perth in Australia. MF Sakemoto is the only injury report.
Head to Head – Cerezo have not beaten Vissel away since 2003, and have won just 3 times in 11 meetings, with 6 wins for Vissel and 2 draws.
Match Preview – Despite some excellent performances, Vissel have just one point to show from their last four games and will find themselves slipping into the relegation dogfight if they don’t pull out a win or two in the next 3 or 4 games. They are 7 points clear of Niigata but Cerezo are just a point behind, Omiya two behind them, and Gamba – on form too – are closing in, also. If Vissel can survive in J1 – and they do probably need only 5 or 6 points, then they should be all set for a top three push in 2013, under the long-term planning of coach Nishino! But to do that they must consolidate their J1 position – little room for error! In Nozawa they have a set piece specialist, in Tashiro and Tokura they have a couple of good centre forwards to get on the end of those set pieces, and the likes of Ogawa and Morioka, Inui and more have a bright future. Just get those points on the board and plan for next season boys!
Cerezo Osaka have had a wildly fluctuating season, going from the sublime to the ridiculous from one game to the next. This can easily be blamed on the fact that they lost Kiyotake and Kim to overseas moves (and Ogihara and Kakitani seem to be the next targets!) and were without Ogihara and Yamaguchi for the duration of London 2012, too! They have recently switched coaches, bringing back Levir Culpi with the sole aim of J1 survival – the Emperor’s Cup is of no concern to the team’s management right now. Three wins in their last five games have seen them pull away from the bottom three, but they are not that far away and will be wary of the good form of Gamba and Ardija. This game is vital to both teams – for Vissel it may well be the points they need for safety, or very close. For Cerezo a win will keep them out of the clutches of the in-form teams below them. EXPECT a WIN for VISSEL – narrowly!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Omiya Ardija v. Yokohama F.Marinos at NACK5 – Marinos to Halt Ardija Revival in its Tracks.
Team News
Omiya Ardija – Omiya are missing only DF Kataoka to injury.
Yokohama F.Marinos – Marquinos is suspended. DF Nakazawa has right thigh trouble and is doubtful. MFs Ogura and Taniguchi under treatment, DF Amano is out until November at least.
Head to Head – 7 wins for Omiya, 6 for Marinos and TEN draws since 2005 in 23 games.
Match Preview – With two wins in-a-row and three in their last five games, Omiya are showing their usual just-in-time-to-escape-from-relegation form, but Cerezo and Gamba are keeping up with them (which means bad news for Vissel Kobe and Kashima Antlers, perhaps? But that’s another story!) … whether they can continue winning ways against a Marinos team that pulled out of a three game losing streak with a win at Kashima Antlers next week, we will wait and see. Last week a 5-0 defeat of cellar dwellers Sapporo helped their goal difference and saw thei first ever J1 hat trick for the team from Novakovic … can’t see the Marinos defence being that kind, even if the recently mistake-prone Nakazawa is out injured.
Yokohama F. Marinos will be without the suspended Marquinos after a rush of blood to the head before half time last week, so now is the time for the likes of Saito, Ono and Oguro to stand up and be counted. After a dire start Marinos fans could be happy with a mid-table finish, but then they had that impressive unbeaten run and the fans thought of ACL qualification. Then they lost three games in a row and it was back to mid-table average-ness! What can the fans expect in their final 8 games – the struggling team, or that team that went unbeaten for so long? I fancy the latter, but Omiya are on a run, too – EXPECT A DRAW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gamba Osaka v. Kashima Antlers at Expo’70 – Gamba to Pull Antlers into a relegation Fight!
Team News
Gamba Osaka – FW Sato missed the last game and is a doubt for this one. Long term injury victims DF Eduardo and Nakazawa, GK Kimura and FW Kawanishi still missing.
Kashima Antlers – nothing new to report, the team is missing utility players Nakata and Yamamura.
Head to Head – 8 wins for Antlers, 7 for Gamba and 8 draws in 23 meetings since 2003.
Match Preview – Gamba Osaka have Leandro, Gamba Osaka will win! That’s all! In the only J1 game that Leandro has missed since his return Gamba lost 4-1 at Sagan Tosu, in the other games Leandro has inspired them to heights not seen since last season. The 5-0 away win over Reds last week will have buoyed the team no end into thinking they are world beaters again. Added to a 5-0 (away again) thrashing of Nagoya and a 7-goal-tally against Consadole, Gamba find themselves top scorers in J1! But, Gamba are also second worst in the defensive stakes (only Consadole have conceded more goals) so will be hoping for another clean sheet after last week’s Reds demolition. It is obvious that Leandro is the key man.
Kashima Antlers have plenty of talent in the ranks, young too, but are not quite gelling as a team (yet?). The likes of Osako and Endo, are ready to replace the old guard but is Dutra as good as it gets in the import area for Kashima? Surely they can do better. And will Jorginho keep his job if the best that this season gets is just surviving relegation? This team know that there will have to be changes for 2013, just how much change may depend on what they can get out of the final eight matches but I can’t see them getting much out of this game with Gamba on fire. Gamba can pull up to within 2 points of Kashima with a win here and they will know that – safety is within reach – EXPECT a WIN for GAMBA OSAKA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kashiwa Reysol v. Urawa Reds at Kokuritsu – Reds to Bounce Back After 5-0 Humiliation Last Week!
Team News
Kashiwa Reysol – DF Masushima is suspended, but the team reports no injuries except three reserve goalkeepers. Will not affect team selection.
Urawa Reds – MF Suzuki is suspended. No injuries to report, only Naoki Yamada’s long-term season-ender.
Head to Head – 15 matches in J1 since 2003 have produced 5 wins for each team, and 5 draws, something will have to give today.
Match Preview – Kashiwa Reysol went down to Sagan Tosu last week, mauled to death at the fortress home of Sagan Tosu 3-1, putting Tosu above Reysol in J1 with 8 games to go. If Reysol can win this, they can haul themselves back to within a win of Urawa Reds, so this is the proverbial six-pointer for both teams. Again I saw it last week, Neto Baiano is an unnecessary luxury in a team that was scoring freely – Kudo, Sawa, Tanaka and more were doing enough so in comes a Brazilian who has failed to light up the team – in fact he seems to have done the opposite. Play the Japanese forwards, win the game, Reysol!?
Urawa Reds also took a beating last week, but 5-0 at HOME to a relegation-threatened team can not have done their confidence any good at all. The only thing that the team, and the fans can and should do, is forget last week’s defeat to Gamba Osaka completely and get on with winning the coming games and pushing those top two for a championship season. I feel that Reds have the experience that Sanfrecce and Vegalta don’t when it comes to handling the pressure in the final gmes of a season and Reds will use that experience to win here, forget about the big defeat and push the top two all the way to the final day. Haraguchi MUST get among the goals, though, because, at the moment the team are scoring from midlfield and even defence (hello Makino!)… they REALLY need a forward scoring goals to make their season complete in the final months. For today EXPECT a WIN for URAWA REDS!