Tag Archives: Iwata

Previews

J1 Preview Aug.18th – 19:00 Jubilo Iwata vs Cerezo Osaka at Yamaha

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Jubilo Iwata – GK Kawaguchi is out for the season. FW Kanazono is out for at least another two months. MF Matsuoka is out for the season. MF Yamamoto out for a month, DF Cho out for at least another two weeks. FW Han out for a month or so.

Cerezo Osaka – MFs Yamaguchi and Ogihara and FW Sugimoto have returned from Olympic duty.

7 wins for Jubilo, 6 for Cerezo and 2 draws since 2003 – all in J1, of course. Jubilo have never been relegated.

Jubilo are suffering from a long injury list and are starting to tire and drop points when they really would like to be winning games. Influential Korean MF/FW Baek will be back from the Olympics and I feel he is a key man in the machine at Jubilo and may help turn things around for them but they must tighten up their defence – outside the bottom three they have the worst defensive record in J1. Having said that they have scored almost two goals per game on average so expect goals one way or another! They have won just one of the last five, and that was against bottom club Sapporo, and, if they are to stay in touch with the top 3 this is a must win for them.

Cerezo Osaka have been hit from all sides this season and must be wondering what they have to do to keep a fixed team. With Yamaguchi and Ogihara at London 2012 and Kim and Kiyotake shipped out, they have been playing with an entirely new midfield for the last few games and it’s only due to some timely goals from Kakitani that they are not deeper in trouble. The player, who signed with Cerezo before he was ten years old, but then spent the best part of three seasons at Tokushima Vortis developing his game, returned just in time to help the team get over the losses of Kagawa and Inui, and then saw Ienaga, Kim and Kiyotake also leave the team. He is the man to watch, a rising star, but how long will Cerezo be able to hold onto him? Jubilo injuries and players returning to Cerezo will swing it towards a WIN for CEREZO OSAKA!

Previews

PREVIEW – Jubilo Iwata v. Urawa Reds – May 6th

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Jubilo Iwata – MF Kosuke Yamamoto is suspended. GK Kawaguchi out for at least 4 more months.

Urawa Reds – MF Kashiwagi is doubtful with a left leg injury. MF Naoki Yamada is out, probably for the season.

Both teams lost, perhaps unexpectedly, last time out and will be looking to bounce back from those defeats. Jubilo Iwata (P9 W$ D2 L3 GD +1) have lost two in a row, and conceded seven goals in the process and have only won one in the last five – that a 1-0 win over a struggling Marinos – and loo to be settling into the season of mediocrity that I predicted for them after a start that saw them rack up points, if not with decent displays! They have dropped to 7th and seem to be on a downward spiral now. Don’t expect them to come out of it this week.

Urawa Reds (P9 W5 D1 L3 GD +3) must be very disappointed after losing their Saitama Derby to Omiya Ardija, but bouncing back to beat fancied Nagoya Grampus, only to lose again last time out to lowly Yokohama F.Marinos! Reds may well be challenging Cerezo Osaka for the title of most inconsistent J1 team this season! Coach Petrovic’s three-man defence has only conceded nine goals in nine games, but the team has only scored 12 goals and really have to hope that the resurgent form of Marcio Richardes continues, as well as hoping that Genki Haraguchi returns to the form and fitness that had him challenging for a place in the national team, and certainly for the London Olympics. Expect a Win for Urawa Reds!

Reds have ten wins, to Jubilo’s seven, with four draws over the years, but Reds have not won this fixture since 2009!

Previews

Kawasaki Frontale v. Jubilo Iwata – PREVIEW – May 3rd

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Kawasaki Frontale v. Jubilo Iwata – Stalemate for Frontale and Jubilo?

Kawasaki Frontale – DF Jeci is missing for at least two more months.
Jubilo Iwata – DF Chiyotanda still expected to be missing. GK Kawaguchi out long term.

Kawasaki Frontale (P8 W3 D1 L4 GD -3) failed to win under new coach Kazama at home last time out, capitulating 4-1 to in-form Sanfrecce Hiroshima and their captain, and leading goalscorer Hisashi Sato. The new coach decided to put Inamoto at centre back for the first time but that obviously did not work, but he will still be missing DF Jeci so needs to find something to cover the back line better than last time. Kengo Nakamura will have to lead this team out of the doldrums but will he be able to do it all alone? The team that was one of my tips to struggle this season WILL continue to struggle with this set of players.

Jubilo Iwata (P8 W4 D2 L2 GD +2) were another team I did not expect to do well this season and I still feel they are in a false position and will be found out soon, but probably not against Kawasaki Frontale. Cerezo Osaka opened them up like a plastic can last time out and a decent forward line will not have a problem against this defence, especially without veteran goalkeeper Kawaguchi. Perhaps we are in for a low-scoring draw?

For Frontale the likes of Renato might have a set play in them but do not have the guile and effort to be a force in J1 all season long. Expect a DRAW!

Seven wins each, and two draws over the years, very even.