Tag Archives: Kashima

Previews

J1 Final Day Preview – Kashima Antlers vs Kashiwa Reysol at Kashima 15.30, Dec.1st

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Team News
Kashima Antlers – no suspensions, MF/DF Yamamura is still out injured but back in training. FW Koroki is expected to be available.
Kashiwa Reysol – MF Barada is suspended, MF Mizuno is very doubtful.

Head to Head – 10 wins for Antlers, just 2 for Reysol, and 5 draws since 2003. Both of Reysol’s wins came last season in their Championship winning year.

Match Preview – Kashima Antlers now have nothing left to play for, having gained J1 safety last week due to an away defeat of Nagoya Grampus. Coach Jorginho will be looking for a win that could pull his team up a couple of players, but it would still not be as high as the fans would have expected. Will a Nabisco Cup win be enoughfor Jorginho to keep his job? We shall see. Koroki should be back from injury but Dutra is coming good, finally, and might benefit from being show the team has confidence in him by leaving him in the starting XI?

For Kashiwa Reysol this is a do or die match for a place in the 2013 ACL and, even if they win, they have to rely on Sagan Tosu not winning. Influential C is back and in form and the other decent Brazilian they have, Jorge Wagner, scored the match-winning goal against Vissel Kobe last week . . a big finish for this team and then they have to wait and see what happens in Tosu. EXPECT a DRAW anyway!

Previews

J.League J1 Preview Matchday 32 – 14:00 Kashima Antlers vs Vegalta Sendai at Kashima

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Team News
Kashima Antlers – MF Endo is suspended. DF/MF Yamamura still out injured.
Vegalta Sendai – Just DF Uemoto out injured.

Head to Head
4 wins for Antlers, 2 for Sendai and 1 draw. Just the last three seasons and a season in 2003 is all we have between these two teams.

Match Preview
Vegalta Sendai lost ground on Sanfrecce Hiroshima last time out and MUST win this to stay in touch, presuming that Sanfrecce don’t slip up against Urawa Reds – a big presumption, indeed. Sendai have two draws and two wins in their last four but it has not been enough to keep track with the top spot, so this is a must-win today for them. They have no suspensions and just Uemoto missing and really need to dispatch Kashima Antlers today.

Kashima Antlers fought out a hard-earned goalless draw with fellow strugglers Omiya Ardija after being victorious in the Nabisco Cup Final. Antlers are five points clear of relegation with nine points available to Gamba and Albirex so they will know they need at least another win out of their final three games to be sure of safety. They will not make it easy for Sendai. They are missing Endo through suspension, but have more than enough cover and Shibasaki is on a high – the man to be careful of? EXPECT a DRAW!

Previews

J1 Preview Nov.7th 19.00 – Omiya Ardija vs Kashima Antlers at NACK 5

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Team News
Omiya Ardija – DF Murakami is out long term.
Kashima Antlers – DF Yamamura is a long-term injury victim. MF Renato is ready to return from injury.

Head to Head – In 16 matches between these two teams since 2003, Ardija have won only once, with 4 draws occurring. 11 wins for Antlers.

Match Preview – Kashima Antlers come into the game still in relegation trouble, but wih the boost of a Nabisco Cup Final win at the weekend. Will they be on a roll, or will they be hungover? Their Nabisco win was not emphatic, by far, a penalty kick and a counter attack won the game for them on a very defensive display. Perhaps a similar approach will get them a point, or three, and secure their J1 place for 2013? Osako and Koroki are off form, but Dutra is creating space and chances, and their midfield gets the goals. And will again.

Omiya Ardija are the in-form team and a win today will see them quite probably safe from relegation and pull Antlers into that fight. It is a real six-pointer. They may be disillusioned by quotes from Novokovic in the German press this week that emphasised him saying he looks forward to returning to the Bundesliga in January. Possible out-of-context, and possibly not missed in the end, but the timing was not good. EXPECT a DRAW!

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.

JSoccer Magazine on Twitter: JSoccer Magazine on Twitter.

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!

In the Mix, Previews

J1 Preview – Kashima Antlers vs FC Tokyo at Kashima Stadium – Oct.6, Matchday 28

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Team News
Kashima Antlers – NO suspensions, the only injuries are Nakata and Yamamura – both long-term.
FC Tokyo – FW Hirayama is said to be ready to return, MF Kaga is out, DF Ota is doubtful, MFs Kawano and Otake, DF Hiramatsu are long term absentees.

Head to Head – Tokyo have not beaten Antlers since 2008 and just 3 times in total since 2003, with Antlers winning 10 and 4 games ending as a draw.

Match Preview – Kashima Antlers held Gamba Osaka to a draw away last time out but remain just 4 points away from the drop zone – in the shape of Gamba Osaka in 16th place – and will be desperate for a win here, at home against a slightly improving FC Tokyo. A loss for Antlers, especially with the form of those teams around them could spell trouble for the Kashima team but their only win in their last five was a fortunate three points against Vissel Kobe and they will be hard-pressed to pull out a win here against an FC Tokyo team that have won three of their last five and are looking to hit the top six, or even better, in the final games of the season. Some of the injuries that have affected the team are history and recent signing Vucicevic is settling in and getting among the goals – I think we should EXPECT an FC TOKYO WIN here!

Previews

J1 Preview – Sat. Sept.15th – 19:00 Kawasaki Frontale vs Kashima Antlers at Todoroki

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Kawasaki Frontale – DFs Saneto and Morishita out
Kashima Antlers – DF/MF Nakata is out for 2 months, DF/MF Yamamura is out for 3 months.

11 wins for Frontale, 7 for Antlers, and 3 draws over the last decade or so.

This probably should be classed as a must-win game for Kawasaki Frontale if they are not to be dragged down into the relegation fight. Last week’s narrow, uninspiring win over Vissel Kobe should have gone some way to seeing Kashima Antlers safe, although mathematically they are still in with a chance of being dragged down and will also be very grateful for a win…
Frontale fired coach Naoki Soma very early in the season, even though he had steered the team to a couple of wins. It was said his football was uninspiring, one wonders what the team management think of the current situation, and how much longer they will be patient if another win or two are not forthcoming?
I think the pressure will get to Frontale, but Antlers are not much better this season so EXPECT A DRAW!

Previews

J1 Preview Aug.25th – 18:30 Kashima Antlers vs Albirex Niigata at Kashima

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Kashima Antlers – FWs Osako and Dutra and DF/MF Nishi are all suspended. DF/MF Koji Nakata will be out for at least another month.
Albirex Niigata – MFs Kim, Nakamura and Ichida, and FW Suzuki are all long-term injuries.

Head to Head – surprisingly even over the years, since 2004, 7 wins for Antlers, 6 for Albirex and 7 draws.

Kashima have won one of the last three – with defeats to Sagan Tosu and Urawa Reds sandwiching a win over Jubilo Iwata. After a terrible start Kashima put some points on the board but still look like a team in disarray at times and are not yet clear of relegation this season. If they can consolidate their position in J1 the powers-that-be need to decide if they keep faith with Jorginho as coach, then they can start the rebuilding process. FW Koroki will have a lot on his shoulders with the suspensions of Osako and Dutra which could be a bonus for Albirex Niigata, who are in deep trouble.
The return of CB Suzuki from the Olympics didn’t make much difference last week in a defeat to top team Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and they are the lowest scoring team in J1, with even less goals than bottom club Consadole! FWs Hirai, Yano et al MUST take the chances that they are given, as they are few and far between.

Even with the suspensions I can not see Albirex getting anything out of this. Expect a WIN for KASHIMA ANTLERS!

Previews

J1 Preview Aug.18th – 19:00 Urawa Reds vs Kashima Antlers at Saitama

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Urawa Reds – FW Marcio Richardes is suspended. MF Naoki Yamada is out for the season.

Kashima Antlers – DF / MF Koji Nakata will be out for two months with a knee injury.

7 wins for Antlers, 6 wins for Reds and 7 draws since 2003

Urawa Reds were put in their place by Vissel Kobe last weekend, Yoshito Okubo’s penalty keeping them from moving to within a win of the top spot. Kashima Antlers have won 3 of their last 5 including a win over Jubilo Iwata last week – they are missing Koji Nakata to injury, but Iwamasa will be buoyed by a national team recall. Reds have won only two of their last five, yet still remain in reach of the top spot – a testament to the unpredictability of J1 this year – and every year! I seriously believe that anyone down to S-Pulse in 10th position can still win this league so Reds must win this to keep the lower teams at bay.

Kashima Antlers will be hoping the likes of Kuroki and Osako can score the goals that will keep them out of the relegation zone but Reds will be too strong for them today – EXPECT a WIN for URAWA REDS!

Previews

PREVIEW May 12th 14:00 Jubilo Iwata v. Kashima Antlers at Yamaha Stadium

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Jubilo Iwata – FW Kanazono is approaching a return, but not yet. GK Kawaguchi is a long term injury.

Jubilo Iwata (P10 W4D3 L3 GD +1) have hit a rough patch after a decent start, and personally I feel the real Jubilo is now showing through and they will not be challenging for honours this season! They have only won one of their last five games and are slipping down the table. Unbelievably, also, in the last ten years, they have won only once in 18 attempts against Antlers, don’t expect another win today as the resurgent Kashima team add to their decent run.

Kashima Antlers (P10 W3 D2 L5 GD -2) won three in-a-row after their dire goalless start, but have slipped to a draw and a loss in their last two outings. Coach Jorginho is getting to know his team’s strengths (and weaknesses – hello Juninho) and with a prolonged partnership up front Koroki and Otake WILL be among the goals. With Jubilo conceding nine goals in their last three games, expect the young dynamic duo to notch again, and EXPECT a WIN for KASHIMA ANTLERS!

It’s true. Get this – in 18 meetings over the last decade Jubilo have won only once – in November 2010 – to Kashima’s record of 12 wins, with five draws!