Friday, June 20

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Sports Mole previews Saturday's J1 League clash between Kawasaki Frontale and Vissel Kobe, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Fighting to make up ground on the J1 League's top three, AFC Champions League runners-up Kawasaki Frontale are set to host in-form Vissel Kobe at the Uvance Todoroki Stadium on Saturday.

The Azzuro Nero will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak to eight matches this weekend, while Ushi will be looking for a fourth win on the bounce.

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Match preview

Shigetoshi Hasebe's Kawasaki have continued their excellent form in the Japanese top flight after the disappointment of missing out on the Champions League crown to Al-Ahli in May, and they will be expecting to add to their tally once again in this clash.

Last Saturday, the Azurro Nero took all three points in a 1-0 win over Yokohama FC, and while Yuki Yamamoto's 58th-minute strike was enough to secure victory, they could be considered lucky given that Fulie missed the only big chance of the game.

Regardless, that triumph has Hasebe's side seventh in the table with 32 points, just two shy of third-placed Kyoto Sanga in the AFC Champions League Two spot and five behind Kashiwa Reysol in second, who occupy one of the Champions League Elite places.

Hoping to climb the table this weekend, the hosts boast a 10-game unbeaten run across all competitions as the home team, and with four wins from their last six on their own turf, they will be anticipating taking maximum points at the Uvance Todoroki Stadium once again.

Victory could see Kawasaki leapfrog Vissel, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Urawa Reds and Sanga as they move up to third in a best-case scenario, though defeat would give Cerezo Osaka the chance to drop them down to eighth.

Meanwhile, Takayuki Yoshida's Vissel have proven that their 3-2 loss against Shimizu S-Pulse on May 25 was just a blip by recording three consecutive wins across the league and Emperor's Cup ahead of this weekend, and their momentum could be tough for their opponents to stop.

Last Sunday, Ushi took all three points in a 2-1 victory over Nagoya Grampus, and the manager will be pleased that his team dominated the match and made the most of their time on the ball, producing more than twice as many shots as their opponents despite having 49% possession.

That win kept Yoshida's men above Kawasaki and left them sixth in the table with 33 points, just one short of Champions League Two qualification.

However, considering that the visitors have alternated between victory and defeat across their five most recent away games, and have not kept a clean sheet on their travels for more than two months, it remains to be seen whether they can make the jump into the top three on Saturday.

An 11th league win of the season would be enough for Vissel to move up to third, where they may even find themselves within one point of Kashiwa by the end of the weekend, though losing would see them overtaken by the Azurro Nero, as well as Cerezo if they can win their own clash against Tokyo Verdy.

Kawasaki Frontale J1 League form:

Kawasaki Frontale form (all competitions):

Vissel Kobe J1 League form:

Vissel Kobe form (all competitions):

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Team News

After assisting Kawasaki's winner last time out, Yasuto Wakizaka should captain the side from an attacking midfield position once again, starting just behind striker Shin Yamada.

On the flanks, Tatsuya Ito and Marcinho will provide width up front, while full-backs Asahi Sasaki and Sota Miura offer overlapping runs.

Elsewhere, Yuki Yamamoto, who scored the only goal of the game against Yokohama FC, should start alongside Ryota Oshima at the base of Hasebe's midfield.

As for Vissel, centre-backs Tetsushi Yamakawa and Matheus Thuler will be hoping to keep a rare away clean sheet, and the stability that Takahiro Ogihara, Yosuke Ideguchi and Taisei Miyashiro can build in the centre of the park will be key.

Up top, striker Daiju Sasaki should be joined by Jean Patric and Rikuto Hirose, though Erik Lima and Koya Yuruki should be available to come on for the wingers if Yoshida feels his team need more firepower from the bench. 

Kawasaki Frontale possible starting lineup:

Yamaguchi; Sasaki, Takai, Maruyama, Miura; Yamamoto, Oshima; Ito, Wakizaka, Marcinho; Yamada

Vissel Kobe possible starting lineup:

Maekawa; Sakai, Yamakawa, Thuler, Nagato; Ideguchi, Ogihara, Miyashiro; Patric, Sasaki, Hirose

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We say: Kawasaki Frontale 2-1 Vissel Kobe

 

Both of these teams are in strong form ahead of this weekend, but Kawasaki's commendable home record is hard to overlook.

Additionally, Vissel's inconsistency and defensive weakness on the road suggests that they are likely to concede and could even walk away empty handed on Saturday.

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

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