Machida Zelvia’s title challenge took a hit in round No. 17. Zelvia’s loss opened up the door for Kashima Antlers and Gamba Osaka.
Meanwhile, Urawa Red Diamonds continue to struggle this season, failing to win any of their last three matches.
Yokohama F Marinos fell 4-1 in their only previous head-to-head J League or cup encounter against Machida Zelvia. That clash came last season in the Emperor’s Cup. Will Machida Zelvia claim a second straight win over Marinos?
Yokohama picked up just five points from their last six matches. They scored 10 goals but conceded 10 times to those six opponents. Their last two games had over 2.5 goals.
Machida took 13 points from the last six games. They outscored their last six opponents 13-5. Despite the good form, Machida lost a week ago, leaving them level with second-place Kashima Antlers on 35 points.
The last four matches between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy finished with over 2.5 goals scored. All four of those matches were won by Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Can they make it five wins in a row over Tokyo Verdy?
Verdy are on a two-game winning streak in the J League. A 1-0 win over Vissel Kobe was followed by a 5-3 victory over Hokkaido.
Sanfrecce went unbeaten in their last three matches, picking up seven points from nine. The team conceded just one goal across those three games. Meanwhile, they scored eight times.
The home team won the last two head-to-head matches between Cerezo Osaka and Urawa Red Diamonds. Last season, the Red Diamonds won 2-1 at home before dropping the return fixture 2-0 at Cerezo Osaka.
Cerezo will go into the match unbeaten in their last three games. They took five points from the last nine on offer. Cerezo outscored their last three opponents 5-2.
Urawa picked up 11 points from their last six matches in the league. However, they failed to win their last three games, taking only two points in that time. Urawa were outscored 4-2 in their last two games.
The last six matches between Kyoto Sanga and Sapporo were split three wins apiece. All six matches were won by the designated home team. Will Kyoto Sanga keep the trend of the home team winning alive?
Kyoto are bottom of the current form table. They took just two points from the last six games. Both of those points came in Kyoto Sanga’s last two J League matches.
Sapporo did a little better than Kyoto in the last six games. They took three points from the last six matches. However, Sapporo are on a three-match losing streak in the J League. They conceded 2.0 goals or more in each of those three fixtures.