Fifth will take on 12th in the J1 League this Friday with Cerezo Osaka set to welcome Avispa Fukuoka to the Yodoko Sakura Stadium with the home side still eyeing up a spot inside the top two in Japan’s top flight.
Osaka are currently sitting fifth in the table and behind third-placed Nagoya by just three points having won the same amount of games as them (10).
🌸今日の舞洲🌸2日後の #アビスパ福岡 戦（6/30🏟#ヨドコウ桜スタジアム）に向けて、雨が降る中でしたが、トレーニングを行いました🏃♂️💨#セレッソ大阪 pic.twitter.com/l7hDIjkZ8Q— セレッソ大阪オフィシャル (@crz_official) June 28, 2023
🌸今日の舞洲🌸2日後の #アビスパ福岡 戦（6/30🏟#ヨドコウ桜スタジアム）に向けて、雨が降る中でしたが、トレーニングを行いました🏃♂️💨#セレッソ大阪 pic.twitter.com/l7hDIjkZ8Q
The club are also just four points behind Vissel Kobe and adrift of Yokohama FM at the top of the division by seven points. Now, with just over half the games played, Osaka are no doubt still in the title race.
Their biggest concern, however, will be their losses so far. The club have currently lost six games from the 18 outings, meaning a third of their matches have ended in defeats.
At the same time, they hammered Consadole Sapporo 4-1 last time out.
Leandro de Sousa Pereira scored after just two minutes that day, as Mutsuki Kato, Hinata Kida and former Manchester United man, Shinji Kagawa, all netted a goal.
It was the second win in a row for Osaka in the J1 League, with them also defeating Vissel Kobe 2-1 back at the start of June, as they were beaten by city rivals, Gamba Osaka, in the J. League Cup two weeks ago.
Nagoya were the last team to beat them in the league, and despite losing six times in the top flight so far, the club have only suffered one defeat in the past seven games and brought to an end their terrible start to this J1 League campaign.
As for Avispa Fukuoka, they were beaten 3-0 by Vissel Kobe last time out after also losing to Nagoya in the league too.
Alongside a defeat to Gamba Osaka and Yokohama FM, it now means six winless games in a row with four of them ending in defeats over the past six weeks.
The club's only wins in the past few weeks have been in the Emperor's Cup when they defeated Imabari 2-0 before a win over Kashiwa Reysol.
They are now sitting 12th in the table with five wins from 18 games, as the club have now lost eight times this campaign.
Forebet predicts a comfortable win for Osaka in this one, and for the game to see over 2.5 goals with Fukouka letting in 25 goals already this season.