Sanfrecce Hiroshima will be hoping to extend their excellent run of form in the J1 League this weekend when they take on Kawasaki Frontale at Edion Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts will enter this match in third place in the league standings, with 32 points in 17 games, while the visitors are eighth and six points behind their upcoming opponents.
Match preview
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After a difficult April, during which they lost four of their six games and were forced out of the top two in the league standings, Sanfrecce Hiroshima are now enjoying a solid run in the top flight, having rattled off five wins in a row ahead of this match.
Viola picked up a commanding 3-0 victory away to FC Tokyo last weekend, marking their 10th win in 17 games this season, while they now have the longest active win streak in the division after Kashima Antlers lost to Yokohama FM in their last outing.
Hayato Araki gave his side the lead just after the interval in Tokyo last week, and Ryo Germain doubled their advantage at the hour mark before Hayao Kawabe secured the points with their third of the afternoon two minutes before the end.
Michael Skibbe's side have beaten Avispa Fukuoka, Shonan Bellmare, Gamba Osaka and Tokyo Verdy during their current win streak, but their greatest strength this season has been their defensive solidity, having only conceded 12 goals to date - the fewest in the division.
When these sides met in the league last season, they played to a 1-1 draw, which extended Sanfrecce's unbeaten run against this opponent to three matches (W1 D2 L0), dating back to June 2023.
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Meanwhile, Kawasaki Frontale's month began on a sour note, as they suffered defeat to Al Ahli in the AFC Champions League final on May 3 and were beaten 2-1 by Kashima Antlers in the league a week later.
However, since then, Frontale have gone four matches unbeaten (W2 D2), but will be somewhat disappointed not to have taken more from their last two games, which they drew 2-2 against Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka.
In both those matches, Azzurro Nero held a one-goal advantage but squandered it in the second half, and they have now played out a total of eight draws in 17 games this season - the most on any team in the top flight.
Notably, all four games during Frontale's current unbeaten run were played at Uvance Todoroki Stadium, while on the road, the side is winless in their last four league matches (D2 L2), a notable downturn after taking eight points from their first four outings of the season (W2 D2).
Team News
![Michael Skibbe (Sanfrecce), Football / Soccer : 2024 J League match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima - Kawasaki Frontale at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan APRIL 28, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/25/michael-skibbe.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Michael Skibbe (Sanfrecce), Football / Soccer : 2024 J League match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima - Kawasaki Frontale at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan APRIL 28, 2024 [IMAGO]")
© Imago
Veteran midfielder Tolgay Arslan made just four appearances for Sanfrecce at the start of the season before sustaining a knee injury that is expected to keep him sidelined until at least September.
Mutsuki Kato missed a penalty in the last match and will be hoping to make amends this weekend, while Naoki Maeda had little impact before being withdrawn at the interval, and he could be replaced in the starting lineup by Sota Nakamura, who set up Hayao Kawabe for Viola's third goal in Tokyo.
Kawasaki Frontale were dealt a major blow during their 2-2 draw against Urawa Reds last week, with Erison sustaining an injury in the first half, which is expected to keep him on the treatment table for the foreseeable future.
The Brazilian forward will be joined on the sidelines this weekend by fellow injury absentees Jesiel (hamstring), Yu Kobayashi (shoulder) and Shintaro Kurumaya (hip), while Shin Yamada will likely lead the line.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima possible starting lineup:
Osako; Shiotani, Araki, Sasaki; Nakano, Higashi, Kawabe, Arai; Nakamura, Mutsuki; Germain
Kawasaki Frontale possible starting lineup:
Yamaguchi; Van Wermeskerken, Takai, Maruyama, Sasaki; Tachibanada, Kawahara; Ito, Wakizaka, Marcinho; Yamada
We say: Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 Kawasaki Frontale
Given their deep run in the AFC Champions League this season, there are concerns that fatigue may be creeping into Kawasaki Frontale's squad in recent weeks, especially when considering that they have conceded cheaply in the second half of their last two matches, which has cost them four points.
Sanfrecce, on the other hand, have the best record in the top flight over the last month, now riding a five-match win streak, and we feel they will add another victory to that tally this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
