amba are missing long-term injury victim Kawanishi. Myojin is not match fit but expected to be in the party. Eduardo, still not played yet, is close to fitness, and Paulinho is also expected to be fit after two weeks out.

Shimizu S-Pulse – No major injury worries or suspensions for S-Pulse!

Gamba Osaka (P6 W1 D1 L4 GD -5) finally got on the winning track last week, despite being 2-0 down before half time against Kawasaki Frontale. 3 goals, and three points will do a world of good for the confidence of this team who are in transition. Good performances are now coming from new imports or still-young players such as Kurata, Terada, Abe, Sato, Fujiharu, Konno and more look good for the future of the club, while stalwarts Endo, Futagawa, Kaji and Myojin soldier on and help the new team take shape. It is a season of transition for this team so the fans have to be patient but there is no reason why Gamba can not build on the win last week and start moving up the table now.

Shimizu S-Pulse (P6 W4 D0 L2 GD +2) also have a mix of young and old and are also in transition under the astute leadership of coach Afshin Ghotbi. The likes of Ono and Takahara are guiding the less-experienced players – Omae, Iwashita, Takagi and more – along with the foreign influence of the ever-improving Calvin Jong-a-Pin and Alex Brosque and the team is grinding out results, often getting less than they deserve from games. It will be close but I think we can expect the lower team to march on in their comeback, we will see a WIN for GAMBA OSAKA!

Gamba have won 10 of 20 games with just the four wins for S-Pulse and six draws, in J1 and the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup over the years. S-Pulse have not won since July 2009.

Kashima Antlers – Kashima MAY see the return of experienced defensive all-rounder Koji Nakata from injury.
Cerezo Osaka – defender Maruhashi must be considered doubtful for this game.
Kashima Antlers (P6 W1 D1 L4 GD -5) finally saw their first win of the season last week against high flyers FC Tokyo, although they made hard work of the win and there were not any major improvements on display as yet. If Japanese youngsters Osako and Koroki deliver the goods there will be no reason for coach Jorginho to use Juninho and Dutra from the bench and the signs were there last week.
This team is the proverbial “too good to go down” team, with the likes of Endo, Shibasaki, Koroki and Osaka, among others forging a team for the future but the fans will have to be patient this season as the team consolidates and makes those changes from the old guard to the new.
Cerezo Osaka (P6 W3 D1 L2 GD +3) are the ultimate in inconsistency, destroying Omiya Ardija 3-0 away from home two games back, then allowing Albirex Niigata their first win of the season at home last weekend. The team must be admired for the way they have come through losing the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Takashi Inui and Akihiro Ienaga over recent times and will have to prepare for Hiroshi Kiyotake to follow them out of the club very soon and could be forgiven for some of that inconsistency, but the likes of Yamaguchi and Ogihara will take on the mantle of Liyotake and team will move on, again.

That inconsistency is hard to predict, and Antlers have finally got the taste of victory on their tongue, and home advantage to boot, but I am going for a WIN for CEREZO OSAKA.
Cerezo did the double over Kashima last season and are ahead historically seven wins against four wins for Antlers over 14 games over the past decade or so.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima – DF Yokotake is 50-50 and Yamagishi is also still recovering from injury and should be considered doubtful.
Nagoya Grampus – Josh Kennedy and Ryota Isomura must be considered doubtful.
Nagoya Grampus (P6 W4 D1 L1 GD +6) have been infuriatingly inconsistent in performance so far this season but HAVE got the results, even when playing badly, surely the sign of a team that will challenge for the Championship, but that’s not a surprise to anyone. Last time out they overcame Consadole Sapporo 3-1 at home, but it could have and should have been a bigger score than “just” 3-1. They won’t find it so easy at Hiroshima Sanfrecce (P6 W4 D0 L2 GD +5) who will close down fast, attack even faster, and with their fluid formation changes and disciplined team – begun by former coach Petrovic but continued by his disciple Moriyasu this season, Sanfrecce are playing above expectations.
Captain and talisman forward Hisashi Sato is among the goals for Sanfrecce and will need to be marked well but Tulio and co. in the Grampus defence.
Grampus also have speed and agility up front in Tamada and Nagai, who would cause a problem for any defence. With or without Kennedy the Grampus attack can be potent. EXPECT a scoring DRAW.
Sanfrecce have only three wins in 14 meetings between these two, although 5 of those 14 have been drawn. Nagoya have won three of the last four meetings and will make it hard for the home team.

Kashiwa Reysol – Leandro Domingues and Hiroki Sakai are suspended. Reserve goalkeeper Kirihata is injured.
Vissel Kobe – Centre back Komoto is a long term injury and is being missed, but other regular centre back Kitamoto is expected back from injury. There also may be a first appearance for ex-Kashima forward Yuzo Tashiro after ankle surgery.
Vissel Kobe (P6 W2 D2 L4 GD -6) opened the season with two wins and high hopes but have since gone down to four defeats-in-a-row, but have suffered from wasted chances galore in games that they could have won, notably in the home defeat by FC Tokyo, so the panic buttons are not yet being pressed by the powers-that-be above coach Wada! Perhaps Tashiro will be the answer to those problems. Last week they could have been ahead against Urawa Reds before an unmarked Abe popped the first one in from a corner. They then succumbed to a killer goal from a Marcio Richardes free kick but the game could have gone either way all the way so expect further spirited play from the home team.
Kashiwa Reysol (P6 W2 D1 L3 GD 0)have been very inconsistent this season after a championship-winning 2011. Of course they are no longer the surprise team, which goes against them. They also have the added responsibility of an ACL campaign, which is not going well. They will struggle to match anywhere near their achievements of last season and, today, without marauding right back Sakai and “love him or hate him, he’s effective” Leandro Domingues they will struggle to beat a motivated Vissel Kobe who have players improving with every game. Ogawa is a young supersub right now, while Tanaka is keeping Hashimoto on the bench.
Vissel Kobe seem to have decent depth in every position this season and will only get better. Expect a WIN for VISSEL KOBE!
Historically it’s quite even between these two teams in 19 meetings, 9 wins for Reysol, 8 for Vissel, and a couple of draws, although Vissel have only won twice in the last six seasons so will be hoping to overturn that record.

Jubilo Iwata are missing goalkeeper Kawaguchi, defender Chiyotanda, MF Matsuoka and fowards Kanazono and Yamazaki to injury
Yokohama F.Marinos have Saito and Taniguchi doubtful to start while long-term injury victim Marquinhos is nearing readiness, but not necessarily match fitness.
Jubilo Iwata (P6 W3 D2 L1 GD +2) went down to neighbours Shimizu S-Pulse in a hard fought Shizuoka Derby last weekend for their first defeat of the season and will be looking to bounce back from that with a win. They must fancy themselves against a faltering Yokohama F. Marinos (P6 W0 D4 L2 GD -2).
Marinos failed to get a first win of the season last week against an equally dire Omiya Ardija and will be missing the flair of Manabu Saito but will be hoping that last week’s goalscorer – last season’s wunderkind discovery – Yuji Ono will keep scoring goals as they try to dig themselves out of this rut.
With just four goals in their six games so far, something has to improve and, if Oguro can’t get those needed goals Marinos will be hoping that the imminent return of Marquinhos will be the answer. For today the in-form team is Jubilo Iwata and they also have the home advantage so expect a WIN for JUBILO IWATA!!
Both teams have always remained in J1 and so have played each other 22 times over a decade or so, with Marinos winning 12 times to Iwata’s seven wins and, although the power seems to have shifted this season it’s was June 2008 since Jubilo last beat Marinos in J.League play.