Two teams with vastly different fortunes will clash when Kawasaki Frontale welcome Albirex Niigata in a gameweek 15 Japanese J1 fixture.

The hosts are eighth in the standings, six points and six places outside the automatic AFC Champions League Elite final place, while the visitors find themselves in a relegation scrap.

Match preview

Kawasaki will enter this contest off the back of a narrow 2-1 loss to Vissel Kobe in their last league outing, a result which ended their six-game unbeaten streak in the Japanese top flight.

Despite getting off the blocks early, courtesy of Yasuto Wakizaka’s sixth-minute strike, a Taisei Miyashiro brace left them without a point in the encounter.

While Shigetoshi Hasebe may not be pleased with that outcome, the Sky-Blue-Black will take solace in the fact that they are 10 points better off than they were at this stage last season.

Heading into the encounter on Wednesday, Hasebe will hope to lead his side to their ninth victory of the season, and they certainly have the attacking capabilities needed, having scored 32 times this term, a record which is the third-best in the league.

Playing in front of their fans on Wednesday, the home side will be confident against their opponents, who boast the joint-worst defensive record, having conceded 30 goals.

Elsewhere, having escaped relegation by a mere four points last season, fans of Albirex would have hoped for a less torturous ride this term, but they are currently embroiled in a relegation battle.

Last time out, the visitors suffered a 3-2 loss at the hands of Avispa, a result which compounded their relegation woes.

Currently 18th in the table with 19 points from 20 games, a victory on Wednesday could see them rise to the 16th position, if results elsewhere go their way.

However, since the start of the season, Daisuke Kimori’s men have been struggling with their form on the road, with a couple of wins, two draws and six losses.

Worse still, three of the six defeats away from their stomping ground have come in their last three fixtures on the road, and they conceded three goals in two of those matches.

And up against a side who have scored nine in their last four matches on their turf, it is likely to be a long day for the visitors, although they can draw confidence from their back-to-back victories in their last two meetings against Wednesday’s opponents.

Kawasaki Frontale J1 League form:

Kawasaki Frontale form (all competitions):

Albirex Niigata J1 League form:

Albirex Niigata form (all competitions):

Team News

Both managers do not have a lot to worry about in terms of injuries, and as such, we are likely to see similar faces file out for their respective sides in midweek.

Although Kawasaki will have to do battle without the duo of Erison and Byung-Geun Lee, both of whom are nursing knee injuries.

In the absence of Erison, Shin Yamada is expected to step up and lead the line for the hosts, while Louis Yamaguchi should keep his place between the sticks.

For the away side, they have a clean bill of health, and Kimori will not have a selection headache.

Top scorer Motoki Hasegawa, who has six goals to his name, is expected to partner Kaito Taniguchi up front for the away side.

Kawasaki Frontale possible starting lineup:

Thebault-Yamaguchi; Sasaki, Maruya, Takai, Tachibanada; Yamamoto, Kawahara; Marcinho, Wakizaka, Ienga; Yamada

Albirex Niigata possible starting lineup:

Tashiro; Fujiwara, Fitzgerald, Inamura, Hashimoto; Danilo Gomes, Miyamoto, Oshi, Okumura; Hasegawa, Taniguchi

We say: Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 Albirex Niigata

Kawasaki have a decent home form and strong scoring form, and considering the struggles of the away side in recent times, we back the home side to claim a 2-1 win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Previews by email