Tag Archives: Sato

Previews

Jubilo Iwata vs Gamba Osaka at Yamaha 15.30, Dec.1st

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Team News
Jubilo Iwata – no suspensions, MF Matsuoka injured, but MF Baek reported as recovered but still doubtful to start.
Gamba Osaka – DF Iwashita is suspended. GK Kimura is back in training after a broken leg. DF Kaji and FW Sato out for the season.

Head to Head – 9 wins for Gamba, 7 for Jubilo and 4 draws in 20 meetings since 2003.

Match Preview – While Jubilo Iwata haven’t won since a fortunate victory over Vissel Kobe in mid-September their J1 place was assured for 2013 on other results of the teams around them. The loss of Baek in their midfield has hit them big time and the team will be looking forward to a new season to restart. The home fans will be frustrated and loud in their final game – it may go against them. The Maeda curse may be in effect!! (Look it up!)

Gamba Osaka simply MUST win this game AND hope that two of Albirex, Vissel and Cerezo lose their games. Their injuries have finally cleared up and CB Nakazawa returned last week, just in time for the suspension of Iwashita. This game promises goals – Gamba are top scorers in J1 (believe it or not!), while Jubilo have hit 55 goals this season, the teams attacks have managed 121 goals between them. On the other hand these two teams have conceded 105 goals between them. Yes, that is 226 goals in 66 games! Jubilo Iwata have little to play for and are in a huge depression, Gamba have their survival to play for and, even a win does not guarantee safety, but they WILL go for it! EXPECT a highscoring WIN for GAMBA OSAKA!

Previews

J.League J1 Preview Matchday 32 – 17:00 Shimizu S-Pulse vs Gamba Osaka at Outsourcing

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Team News
Gamba Osaka – DF Kaji and FW Sato out for the season, and more.
Shimizu S-Pulse – No injuries reported, no suspensions.

Head to Head
11 wins for Gamba, 4 for S-Pulse and 6 draws since 2004.

Match Preview
Shimizu S-Pulse have disappointed in recent weeks – losing in the Nabisco Cup Final to Antlers, and then going down to a shock home defeat last time out to Albirex Niigata. Their hopes of finishing in 2rd place have been dented and they will be looking to get back on the winning road and staying in touch with the other teams fighting it out for that 3rd place. In other news there is interest from German clubs for striker Omae and he may be leaving . . not a good start to keeping this team together.

Gamba Osaka have held Sanfrecce Hiroshima and ACL-chasing Kashiwa Reysol in their last games and are more than capable of getting maximum points here today, especially if Leandro is fit and on form – he will be the man that S-Pulse will be watching very carefully, and the fitness – or rather lack of full fitness – on the part of Calvin Jong-a-Pin may well be the difference in that duel. S-Pulse are a young team, who have lost a cup final, and then a league game against lower opposition recently, they will not have the experience and will find it difficult to handle the pressure from a very experienced club like Gamba Osaka, who will be giving everything in their desperate attempt to fight relegation! EXPECT a WIN for GAMBA OSAKA!

Previews

J1 Preview Nov.7th 19.00 – Kashiwa Reysol vs Gamba Osaka at Kashiwa

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Team News
Kashiwa Reysol – DF Kondo still out injured. MF Mizuno out for a month. DF Yamanaka will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty.
Gamba Osaka – Kaji rejoined the injury list. FW Sato is out until next season. DF Nakazawa, GK Kimura both out with broken legs. FW Kawanishi back in contention for a place after being out all season.

Head to Head – Just one draw in 17 meetings between these two teams since 2003! 10 wins for Gamba, 6 for Reysol. Kashiwa have won the last three matches!

Match Preview – While Kashiwa Reysol harbour slim hopes of an ACL-qualifying 3rd place finish, they have had to do without talismanic 2011 J1 MVP Leandro Domingues. Say what you like about the Brazilian, he pulls this team up from avaerage when he plays. Whether he returns for this game may be the key to whather Reysol get anything from a team that will give its all. They seem too reliant on their two decent Brazilians! Their third Brazilian Neto Baiano should not be relied on for anything!

Gamba Osaka know that a defeat could well seal their fate, as they may find themselves 5 or 6 points adrift of safety with just three games to play after today. Sure they are top scorers in J1, but their defence is the second-worst after Consadole Sapporo and that is what has let them down this season. Whether J1 or J2 next season, a rebuilding must begin, starting with a goalkeeper – they were unfortunate that the keeper promoted to the 1st XI this season broke a leg just weeks into the season and hit them hard, but this aging team need leadership and, if it wasn’t for Leandro, they’d already be relegated. EXPECT a WIN for GAMBA OSAKA, especially if Leandro is in for them, and Reysol’s Leandro is out!

In the Mix, Previews

J1 Preview Nov.7th 19.00 – Nagoya Grampus vs FC Tokyo at Mizuho

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Team News
Nagoya Grampus – MF Taguchi is suspended. MF Tanabe and DF Sato will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty. FW Kennedy has recurrence of back injury and not expected to be fit. MF Isomura is back in training after long injury break.
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 are long term injuries.

Head to Head – Since 2003 it’s 10 wins for Tokyo, 6 for Nagoya and 4 draws. FC Tokyo won the home leg of this fixture earlier this season.

Match Preview – A mid-table match-up? Or a couple of teams still with slim chances of ACL qualification? Either way I am not expecting too much from this one! Both teams have had injury-hit, inconsistent seasons with big wins and unexpected defeats and will be happy to start afresh in 2013, I am sure. The return of Kennedy seemed to boost Grampus, and he certainly creates space and chances for Nagai, but the Australian is injured again – a big loss, perhaps. Home advantage and the wrath of manager Stojkovic over recently lost points may well be the catalyst that gives Nagoya this match?

FC Tokyo – a win and a draw after some bad results recently have given FC Tokyo some impetus as the season draws to a close. They are safe from relegation and, who knows, a few wins in the final month could see them challenging for that 3rd ACL spot – a long shot but worth considering, and well worth them doing their best to win this as it would take them above today’s opponents, and there is some cash at stake too, depending on the finishing position in J1! Hasegawa is missing, suspended, but their injury list is clearing up. Players fighting for a new contract, perhaps, after injury-hit seasons, could pull them through this one – I’ll go for A DRAW though!

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!

In the Mix, Previews

JSoccer Magazine J1 Preview Sept.22nd, Matchday 26 – 16:00 Jubilo Iwata vs Albirex Niigata at Yamaha Stadium

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Jubilo Iwata – DF Cho may be available for selection but GK Kawaguchi, MFs Baek, Rodrigo Souto, Matsuoka and Kitaji all unavailable.
Albirex Niigata – MFs Nakamura and Uchida, and FW Suzuki are all long-term injuries.

8 wins for Iwata, 4 for Niigata and 6 draws since 2004.

Jubilo Iwata were lucky to come out of last week’s match away at Vissel Kobe with a win, thanks in no small way to some help from the referee and are feeling the pressure from a list of injuries. It is surprising to many that they are still in with a chance of an ACL-qualifying top three place, although the top three seem to be locked in now. They should find it no problem against Albirex Niigata – a team that has scored just 17 goals all season, even less than bottom-dwellers Consadole! On the other hand their defence has been strong, but will be sorely tested against a rampant Jubilo, who average more than two goals per game and have won three out of their last four – despite all those injuries.

Maeda, for Jubilo, is looking to creep up on the goalscoring crown-to-be of Hisato Sato at Sanfrecce, and cement his place in the national team, while Albirex are just looking for another season in J1. A decent keeper, an Olympic defender, and some decent players all told are hampered by a total lack of firepower up front, with Bruno Lopes, Yano and Hirai, among others, totally failing in their duty.

EXPECT a WIN for JUBILO IWATA!

Previews

Sanfrecce Hiroshima v. Albirex Niigata – preview May 3rd

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Sanfrecce too Strong for Struggling Niigata!

Sanfrecce Hiroshima – Kazuyuki Morisaki is suspended.
Albirex Niigata – Bruno Lopes is suspended.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima (P8 W5 D1 L2 GD +8) walked all over Kawasaki Frontale at the weekend, away from home to boot, and will be looking to increase the pressure on runaway leaders Vegalta Sendai in this game. Against a team second from bottom after eight games they must fancy themselves to score a few goals! Hisashi Sato is in fine form and his supply from Mikic, in particular, on the right wing is paying huge dividends. Expect more goals for Sanfrecce today.

Albirex Niigata are just dire … EXPECT a WIN for SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA!