Two teams at opposite ends of the J1 League table will meet on Saturday as Yokohama F Marinos play host to Kashiwa Reysol.
The hosts are pushing to try and finish the weekend on top spot, while the visitors are attempting to avoid slipping down into the relegation zone.
Match preview
Yokohama F Marinos have had a strong start to the campaign this year which has left them joint top of the league heading into this weekend, with only goal difference keeping them off the top spot.
While they have been strong offensively, scoring more goals than any other team in the league, they have struggled at times when it comes to the defensive side of the game.
That was evident in their most recent J1 League outing as it took three goals to dispatch FC Tokyo due to the fact they had conceded twice, with an 89th-minute goal from Marcos Junior proving to be decisive.
Marinos did showcase a stronger performance at the back in their previous game, though, as they kept a clean sheet in the Emperor's Cup where they secured a 2-0 win.
Kevin Muscat's men are currently undefeated when it comes to home matches, and that is a record that the team will be aiming to maintain this weekend.
On the other hand, the visitors have only managed to win a single match on the road so far, which is just one of two wins they have picked up throughout the entire season.
That is something that Kashiwa Reysol desperately need to improve considering they are currently sat 17th in the league table, with only goal difference keeping them off the bottom.
A defeat or a draw could potentially see them drop into the relegation zone, adding plenty of pressure on this particular fixture.
Defensively there are many other teams in the league that have struggled more than Kashiwa Reysol, but a big problem for them has been in finding the back of the net as they have scored just 13 times so far.
Despite that, Masami Ihara's men have managed to find the back of the net 11 times in their previous two matches in all competitions, hinting that they could have overcome this obstacle.
Team News
Junior will be hoping that his match-winning goal in their most recent league match will be enough to get him a spot from the first minute this time around.
Meanwhile, Anderson Lopes will be expected to lead the line after scoring a brace in the same match, showcasing his attacking qualities.
The 4-2-3-1 formation that Kashiwa Reysol have been using lately will counteract that of their opponents completely, and that is something that should give them a stronger chance of competing here.
Jay-Roy Grot will likely be spearheading the attack in this one, and there will certainly be plenty of pressure on him to help improve their goalscoring fortunes.
Yokohama F Marinos possible starting lineup:
Ichimori; Nagato, Dudu, Hatanaka, Matsubara; Kida, Watanabe; Elber, Junior, Matheus; Lopes
Kashiwa Reysol possible starting lineup:
Matsumoto; Kawaguchi, Tsuchiya, Koga, Katayama; Takamine, Shiihashi; Toshima, Hosoya, Koyamatsu; Grot
We say: Yokohama F Marinos 3-0 Kashiwa Reysol
Two teams at opposite ends of the table with contrasting form will make this a very tough test for Kashiwa Reysol, and that is why the hosts should be able to gain a comfortable three points in this one.
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