Kyoto Sanga will be looking to pull Nagoya Grampus into a relegation scrap when they square off in the J1 League on Wednesday.
Although the home side sit in 17th place in the standings, they trail the visitors - who are in 12th position - by just six points.
Match preview
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After the dismal five-game losing streak in May, it appeared that Kyoto Sanga were well on their way to being cut adrift in the J1 League relegation zone.
However, Cho Kwi-jae and his squad have pulled off a quite incredible turnaround, posting four victories and two draws in the seven matches that have followed.
As a result, the Purple Sanga now sit one point clear of the bottom three, still with plenty of work ahead yet possessing far more belief that they once did.
Three successive wins have been posted on their travels, conceding just the twice in triumphs over Shonan Bellmare, Avispa Fukuoka and Jubilo Iwata.
On the flip side, Cho's team have only recorded draws in their most recent two games at the Sanga Stadium by Kyocera, leaving them with room for improvement.
Up until the back end of May, Nagoya Grampus had ambitions further up the table, yet an alarming drop-off has left them looking over their shoulder.
Just two points were claimed during a seven-match period, a run that included a four-game losing streak, but Grampus Eight have since gotten back on track.
A 2-1 victory over Kashiwa Reysol was recorded on July 14 before a 3-3 draw versus title-chasing Vissel Kobe was earned six days later.
Kenta Hasegawa's team are now seven points clear of the relegation zone, albeit aware that losing to one of the teams below them on Wednesday would result in them being re-established as a relegation candidate.
Team News
After the late turnaround against Jubilo Iwata last time out, Cho may be willing to make several changes to his Kyoto Sanga XI.
Rafael Elias scored the winner in that game and the forward could be introduced for his first start for the club.
Ryuma Nakano and Toichi Suzuki are also options for the flanks, but the back four should stay the same.
Nagoya Grampus had been on course for victory over Vissel Kobe last time out before Hasegawa made changes to his team during the closing quarter-of-an-hour.
With that in mind, the same starting lineup may start here, with Patric retaining his place down the centre of the attack even though his goal in that fixture was just his second in 736 minutes of J1 League football during 2024.
Kyoto Sanga possible starting lineup:
Gu; Miyamoto, Suzuki, Tawiah, Misao; Yonemoto, Fukuoka, Hirato; Tulio, Elias, Hiraga
Nagoya Grampus possible starting lineup:
Langerak; Uchida, Mikuni, Kawazura; Nogami, Inagaki, Shiihashi, Nakayama; Morishima, Yamagishi; Patric
We say: Kyoto Sanga 1-1 Nagoya Grampus
As two of the division's lowest goalscorers, few people will expect this contest to emerge as a particularly entertaining encounter. With that in mind, we feel that a goal apiece seems logical, something that may be viewed as beneficial to both teams.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
