Tag Archives: Hanyu

J1 Preview Aug.25th – 19:00 Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs FC Tokyo at Hiroshima Big Arch

FC Tokyo – MF Otake out for the season, DFs Ota, Jang and Hiramatsu out for a few more weeks each, no news on FW Hirayama from the club, MF Hanyu may be set to return but needs match fitness.

Head to Head – 7 wins for Sanfrecce, just one for FC Tokyo and 5 draws since 2004, all in J1.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima sit atop the J.League four points clear of Vegalta Sendai, after the clubs around them all dropped points recently. Having said that, Sanfrecce themselves lost at home to S-Pulse when they topped the division two weeks ago so anything can happen with the “Curse of the Top Team” in J1! But FC Tokyo are seriously tiring and showing dire form right now, with fans seriously worried about them dropping into the relegation battle after such a good start to the season. A win for FC Tokyo here would settle the team, go some way to rebuilding shattered confidence and pull them away from a potential nail-biting final two months. But Tokyo are beset with injuries and inconsistencies and I can’t see them taking out a Sanfrecce riding high at the top, especially if Hisashi Sato – J1 top scorer – is allowed time in front of goal.
With five or six teams poised to challenge, if a decent run can be ut together, the fate of Sanfrecce’s Championship aim is in their own hands now and I can not see them losing today.
EXPECT a WIN for SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA!

J1 Preview Aug.18th – 18:30 FC Tokyo vs Omiya Ardija at Ajinomoto

FC Tokyo – DF Kaga is suspended, MF Yazawa has moved to JEF United. GK Gonda and DF Tokunaga are back from the Olympics. MF Otake is out for the season. DF Jang out for three months. MF Hanyu out for at least two more weeks. Kawano added to the injury list with left leg injury.

Omiya Ardija – MF Higashi is back from the Olympics. MF Murakami out for at least two months. FW Shimizu is out for about one month.

10 wins for FC Tokyo, just 3 for Omiya and 1 draw since 2005. 2 of those 3 wins were in 2006 and 2007 for Omiya… form is with Tokyo.

Returning hero Higashi is back from the Olympics although he appeared to be carrying an injury in the final and may not be 100%. Carlinhos was suspended last week and returns so one will presume Ardija think they are in better shape than last week. Suffice to say, if they do not win and some of the teams around them win, Ardija slip deeper into trouble.

FC Tokyo have drawn with Reysol and Reds in the last two games, but lost to Niigata and Tosu before that. They have not won since five games back. They have an extensive injury list but will be looking for a win to ensure they do not get dragged into the relegation zone, which would be easy with a run of three or four bad results. This will be a catalyst to a WIN for FC TOKYO!