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In the Mix, Reports

Kashima Antlers 1-2 Shimizu S-Pulse – from Afshin Ghotbi's Point of View

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Ahead of the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Final on Saturday S-Pulse were victorious in the home of their Cup Final opponents . . . here’s what the man himself, Afshin Ghotbi has to say . .

Taken from http://www.afshinghotbi.com

Another great result in a gutsy performance from our orange men secured an important three points. Inspired by earlier results around J1, we started sharply and were rewarded by an early goal in the 7th minute. Hiraoka sprang Yoshida free behind the Kashima defense, and his first touch found Kim Hyun Sung free in the danger area. Kim showed his class scoring from short range after taking three delicate and precise touches, blasting the ball high into the net from close range. Kashima came back into the game scoring off a corner kick in the 43rd minute. After Hiraoka got blocked, Iwamasa got free and his volley bounced off Sugiyama’s body, deflecting past Hayashi into our net. We reacted brilliantly to this setback by scoring immediately from the kick-off at the 44th minute. This time Kim became the provider, finding Omae’s head for the winning goal. With a one-goal lead, we defended well in the second half, weathering Kashima’s attacks and securing a deserved victory marking an undefeated month of October.

All the results favored us, and we are within seven points of the top spot and only one point off the ACL spot. With four games to go, our dream lives on.

We will face Kashima again in the final of the Nabisco Cup on Saturday November 3rd. Join me at Tokyo National Stadium and let’s make history together.

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Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 19:00 Vissel Kobe v. Kawasaki Frontale at Home's Stadium

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Team News – Vissel Kobe – DF Lee is suspended. DF Iwanami will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty.
Kawasaki Frontale – MF Ohshima and FW Kazama will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty.

Head to Head – Five wins for Vissel, six for Frontale and two draws in 13 J1 games since 2005.

Match Preview – Vissel Kobe halted a losing run with two draws in their last two outings but have dropped into relegation danger, finding themselves just three points from Gamba osaka in the 3rd relegation spot of 16th. They’Ve had some bad luck with injuries, and suspensions have not helped, but a decent group of young players need to keep hold of that J1 place in order for coach Akira Nishino to be able to build a new dynasty, as he did with Gamba osaka a decade ago. Whether the likes of Ogawa and Morioka are a match for the young Endo and Hashimoto, that Nishino had at Gamba, is another matter, but they deserve a chance, and to do that they need to win this!

Kawasaki Frontale may sit in 12th position but two fortunate wins in their last five games put them in a false position and it is only four points above Vissel… 39 points is usually enough to consider a J1 position safe but anything can happen and, with the form of the teams below them, combined with a defeat here today, they MAY find themselves scrambling for point on the final day – stranger things have happened. They changed their team manager after a few weeks of the season and they may well need to be doing that again before 2013! They are inconsistent, wasteful in front of goal, and deserve little from this season. EXPECT a WIN for VISSEL KOBE!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 17:00 Albirex Niigata v. Sagan Tosu at Tohoku Den Stadium

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Team News – Albirex Niigata – DF Suzuki is suspended. DF Kawaguchi will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty. MF Nakamura back in training. GK Higashiguchi out for the season and more.
Sagan Tosu – DF Yeo will be out for the rest of the season.

Head to Head – Four wins for Albirex, to one for Sagan and no draws. Albirex’s wins were all in J2. Sagan won their previous J1 encounter earlier this season.

Match Preview –
Albirex Niigata look doomed to J2, and have done for a long time. A freak 5-0 win against Nagoya Grampus gave them 5 of their 23 season goals – just 18 goals in their other 28 matches is a pathetic haul which does not do their quite decent defensive record justice. Their goals conceded column matches top team Sanfrecce and they can expect to lose a defender or two to other teams if they do drop to J2 – which they will if they do not score goals against Sagan Tosu today – this could well be their last chance with Gamba and Omiya in decent form going into the final five games.

Sagan, on the other hand, have lost four of their last five after their bubble finally burst? They have dropped down to 9th and are mathematically still not safe from relegation! That won’t happen and they will have consolidated their J1 position in their debut season, the fans will not be complaining, but their season promised so much more just five games ago. They will be looking to end this bad run and it could be Albirex who feel the force today, especially without key defender Suzuki!! EXPECT a WIN for SAGAN TOSU!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 17:00 FC Tokyo v. Consadole Sapporo at Ajinomoto Stadium

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Team News – FC Tokyo – MF Hasegawa is suspended, MF Hashimoto will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty. DF Ota and MF Kaga are back in training and could be selected. DF Hiramatsu and MF Otake are long term injuries.
Consadole Sapporo – DF Kushibiki is suspended. MF Sakaki will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty. FW Kondo is back in training but not match fit.

Head to Head – Three wins for Tokyo, just one for Consadole and a draw in only five previous meetings.

Match Preview – FC Tokyo find themselves JUST clear of the relegation zone in a season that promised so much. Just like Reysol, perhaps, they suffered from an ACL campaign stretching their resources, as well as a glut of injuries not helping. They have won only one in their last five, while their opponents today have suddenly found their shooting boots – winning one and drawing the other of their two games since relegation was confirmed. On 41 points, and with a goal difference of minus 4, FC Tokyo can not be said to have set the season alight and may find themselves below Cerezo Osaka by the end of the day.

Consadole Sapporo seem to have had a load lifted by being relegated – it can’t get any worse, it would seem and they have relaxed. They’ve also cleared a few of their injuries up and could / should be planning for a season in J2 already. That does not necessarily mean Tele and Ramon should be playing! I feel that Sapporo have relaxed a little and now feel no pressure, while FC Tokyo are in a slump, lacking confidence and cohesion . . . EXPECT a WIN for CONSADOLE SAPPORO!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 17:00 Kashima Antlers v. Shimizu S-Pulse at Kashima Stadium

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Team News – Kashima Antlers – DF Yamamura is a long-term injury victim.
Shimizu S-Pulse – FW Takagi is suspended.

Head to Head – 11 wins for Antlers, five for S-Pulse and EIGHT draws, in 24 matches since 2003.

Match Preview – Kashima Antlers entertain their Nabisco Cup Final opponents, with three draws in their last five matches and still realistically needing 2 or 3 points to make sure of their J1 place for 2013 and are only missing Yamamura in defence and have no suspensions. Osako and Koroki – a decent young Japanese partnership – should be scoring freely, but they have been very inconsistent and the likes of Dutra have been getting time on the field instead. The Antlers fans will be disappointed with the season and perhaps only a Nabisco Cup win can save the job of Jorginho – which might not be a good thing, if this is the way they play under the Brazilian coach!

Shimizu S-Pulse will have been disappointed with their home draw last week, against Vissel Kobe, but beat Jubilo and Vegalta in the two previous games AND won 3-0 in the Nabisco Cup Final over FC Tokyo so will be in the confidence zone. If Korean forward Kim can add to his goals total, if Omae can keep scoring, if Takagi can stay fit … all these things can come together and give S-Pulse an excellent final five games and see them take an ACL spot. It’s time they sealed up coach Afshin Ghotbi’s next five years or more before another team snaps him up! EXPECT a WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 14:00 Gamba Osaka v. Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Banpaku Stadium

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Team News – Gamba Osaka – MF Kurata is suspended. FW Sato is out for at least six months with cruciate ligament injury.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima – MF Notsuda will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty.

Head to Head – 12 wins for Gamba, five for Sanfrecce and four draws over the last decade.

Match Preview – Gamba took a big away win at Frontale last week, and added it to big away wins over the likes of Reds and Grampus BUT they seem to struggle more at home. With five games to go the away days may be easier on the players, with less fans on their backs if things go wrong? An early goal will settle the fans – if it’s for Gamba! otherwise, expect a tough time … and, let’s face it, even if Gamba score early, they won’t keep a clean sheet, will they? This will not be a 1-0 win! Gamba suffered a blow when they lost FW Sato to a knee injury until well into 2013, but Ienaga stepped up with two goals last weekend and looks to be settling in nicely, finally.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima have suffered the curse of the top team more than once this season. It struck again last week, the team going down to a last-gasp winner for Reysol, at home and will be looking to make amends and stay clear of Vegalta Sendai, albeit on goal difference only, if both teams win this time around. We are looking at the two biggest scorers in J1 (Gamba with 57, trump Sanfrecce’s 54) so I believe we can EXPECT a HIGH-SCORING DRAW today!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 14:00 – Nagoya Grampus v. Yokohama F.Marinos at Toyota Stadium

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Team News – Nagoya Grampus – DF Tanaka is suspended. MF Tanabe and DF Sato will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty.
Yokohama F.Marinos – DF Amano is a long term absentee.

Head to Head – Seven wins for Grampus, four for Marinos and EIGHT draws, all in J1 since 2003.

Match Preview – Two teams that have disappointed their fans after expecting a decent season, but, having said that, both teams are within sight of an ACL spot. Nagoya Grampus took all three points away at Sagan, who had previously been very hard to beat at home – and find themselves in 6th, just three points out of that ACL spot. After their season of inconsistency to find themselves in this “false”position may well paper over the cracks that the team is experiencing and they really need to rebuild if they are to continue to be a strong challenger in J1. To do that today, they’ll need to beat the best defence in J1 (29 goals conceded in 29 games). With Josh Kennedy under the weather and suffering from regular injuries, Tamada and Nagai have to score more goals, soon!

Yokohama F.Marinos are unbeaten in four games now, after a bad run of losses interrupted their long mid-season unbeaten run, and still find themselves – like their opponents today – within reach of that ACL spot. The fact that they have had to rely on Marquinos to score many of their goals this season, after expecting much from Yuji Ono, does not bode well for the new season, but THIS season is not yet over and Marinos will want to build on their 4-0 demolition of Jubilo last week, although they saw two 0-0 draws before that. I don’t hold out much hope for either team to break out the goals here today – EXPECT a DRAW!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 14:00 – Jubilo Iwata v. Vegalta Sendai at Yamaha Stadium

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Team News – Jubilo Iwata – FW Yamazaki is suspended. FW Maeda is still doubtful. They are still missing MFs Matsuoka and Baek, too.
Vegalta Sendai – DF/MF Kakuda is suspended. No injuries reported.

Head to Head – Four wins for Jubilo, three for Vegalta and seven draws over the last decade.

Match Preview – Jubilo Iwata have lost their last three as they go into freefall, dropping to 8th, albeit just 3 points off 4th spot. Anything can still happen in J1 in five games but Jubilo have got into a losing habit and I can’t see them breaking that any time soon. The influence of Baek has been missed in the creative department and, with Maeda doubtful, too, the scoring part of the team is under pressure, also. Expect a crisis of confidence in their final games, knowing that their title hopes have long gone now.

Vaegalta Sendai have lost two of their last five, while Sanfrecce above them have dropped just one less point and Reds below them have lost three in that time. So, the team’s fate is really in their own hands and, even at this stage of the season, most followers are expecting them to crack up and give it away… will this mean less pressure? Would they realy settle for 2nd position after this long? I don’t think so. It seems they have been through their bad patch and come out still (almost) on top. EXPECT a DRAW today, but it will still be enough to keep them in at least 2nd place.

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 14:00 – Kashiwa Reysol v. Omiya Ardija at Kashiwa Stadium

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Team News – Kashiwa Reysol – MF Leandro Domingues is expected to miss this game, DF Kondo will be out at least a month. DF Yamanaka will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty.
Omiya Ardija – DF Murakami is out long term, FW Novakovic is doubtful, facing a fitness test.

Head to Head – Four wins each, and five draws in 13 meetings since 2005.

Match Preview – Kashiwa Reysol knocked off Sanfrecce last week and, in doing so, took themselves in to 4th spot, making it three wins in five. It’s been an up and down season, perhaps their entry into the ACL did not help, stretching their squad and causing inconsistency early on in the season. They will be missing Leandro Domingues – last season’s J.League Player of the Season – and it shows, although no complaints about the end result last game! Defender Kondo will also be a big loss but surely they will be strong enough to take out Ardija, especially as a win could take them into 3rd spot.
Omiya Ardija are a place and a point clear of relegation and hoping that they can get something from this game, while those around them slip up. Omiya have steered clear of the bottom three in recent weeks, with a five game unbeaten run, although the last three games have all been draws, while before that they had a 5-0 away win at Sapporo! Don’t expect five goals today, in fact EXPECT a WIN for KASHIWA REYSOL!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. October 27th – 14.00 – Urawa Reds v. Cerezo Osaka at Saitama Stadium

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Cerezo to do S-Pulse a BIG Favour and hold off Reds?

Team News – Urawa Reds – MF Yajima will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty.

Cerezo Osaka report no injuries or suspensions.

Head to Head – Eight wins for Reds, five for Cerezo and two draws in a decade of J1 and Nabisco Cup meetings.

Match Preview – Urawa Reds have lost three out of their last five when they could have been challenging for the top spot, and find themselves six points adrift of the top two, WAY behind in goal difference too, AND under attack from the trio of teams on 45 points, just three behind them as we go into the last five games. Reds’ lack of a real striker has been their downfall – relying on late Popo goals is not a strategy for a winning team and having to start him as a lone striker shows desperation! Keep this team together, add a real striker and maybe, just maybe, a 2013 Championship challenge might be seen. But today a resurgent and relaxed Cerezo Osaka may put paid to a top spot dream altogether and even knock them out of the top three.

Cerezo re-hired coach Levir Culpi to keep them in J1, nothing more, and it looks as if he has done that. Cerezo realistically need another 2 or 3 points from their final games to be sure and then they can plan ahead for next season, try to keep their best players from oving on, and find a coach that can bring out the potential that these players, this team has. They are relaxed indeed under Culpi but he is not staying, they’ll win a few more games for him before he goes home, though. Including this one? Maybe! EXPECT a DRAW!