GW355 - J1 League Preview with predicted lineups, injury info and betting odds (Patreon)

Intro

This is the last GW before the international break and we have a full J league schedule planned. There are 7 games on Saturday and the remaining 2 on Sunday.

The 4 games being streamed on the J League international channel which can be found here

The full fixture list is below:

Predicted Lineups

These can also be found on Playsharper website here

Important to note the %s used here and where they are not above 75% it is because I feel there is some risk involved. My main aim with these is to show where risk/potential DNPs are lurking.

I base these %s on info I read from various sources including comments from the manager and reading a lot of local Japanese news coverage/message boards.

These are my own opinion of the situation at each team. I try to be as neutral as possible but we all have biases :) So always do your own research when making picks!

YFM vs Kashima Antlers

Notes

• Nagato returns from suspension and as LB
• Tsunoda who has just been called up for the national side is in great form and his and Hatanaka partnership in defence is currently the most likely.
• Ichimori made some big errors however there is limited noise around replacing him. I have him continuing to start in nets
• MJ impressed in the league cup and there is some talk he could start here. I am still cautious on this and still have Nishimura favoured
• Koike is back in full training, This game feels too soon for him and Matusbura should start after recovering from an illness that saw him missing last week.

Notes

• Sano is suspended for this game. Its hard to predict who will replace him. A few options include Matsumura/Doi/Nakamura. There is also talk of going to a 3-4-3/5-4-1 with Sekigawa, Ueda and Shoji all starting. Tactically, I have seen this type of formation used to try and counter YFM speed.
• Outside Sanos situation, I expect the other players to remain the same as Antlers look to build momentum

Prediction

YFM were poor against Sapporo. However, at home, they are usually dominant. This will be the first huge test for Antlers this season and one ill be watching closely to understand if they can compete for the title this year. I still see this as a comfortable YFM win

YFM 3 - 1 Kashima

YFC vs Kyoto

Notes

• Hiroki Mita was on a different training programme midweek and is a risk for this game
• Brodesden is out for this game as he recovers from concussion. Nagai has had some poor games and his role as number 1 is at risk once Bro is fully back.
• Caprini has recovered from injury and should start here

Notes

• Kazunari Ichimi picked up an injury a couple of games ago. He is back in training but unclear if ready to start
• Kyoto have been playing well and won their last two league games with Patric s physical presence being a key noticeable difference. I see a similar side to last week coming out for this game

Prediction

YFC have shown glimpses of quality though have been very disorganised in defence. I see this being a low scoring draw

YFC 1 - Kyoto 1

Nagoya Grampus vs FC Tokyo

Notes

• Uchida can not play in this game due to contract reasons (is on loan from Tokyo)
• Nogami did very well last game and I see him favourite to retain his spot
• Nagoya have been relatively consistent with their lineups and with no known injuries, I see no reason for any changes.

Notes

• Morishige started on the bench in the last game, coming on at halt time with the manager making the changes for tactical reasons.
• Some concerns have been raised about Morishiges vulnerability to speed. I have unsure what the manager will decide for this game but favour the captain to return.
• Matsuki has returned from international duty however this game feels too soon as he played a number of games when away
• Nakamura went off with an injury the last game. He is a risk for this game with Nagatomo the natural replacement

Prediction

Nagoya have been excellent in defence and I see another cleansheet very possible here. I also see them winning in a low scoring game.

Nagoya Grampus 1-1 FC Tokyo

Urawa Reds vs Niigata

Notes

• Jose Kante has signed and will be Urawas main striker. Realistically this game looks too soon for him and I still see Koroki starting
• New manager, Skorza hasnt rotated many players so I see a similar lineup to before. LB being the area I can see changes.
• Iwanami has impressed in training however, for now, I see the current CB pairing continuing especially after last games impressive performance.

Notes

• Niigata are the only unbeaten side in the J1 league! They have been highly impressive so far
• Chiba hasnt been seen in training so I see Deng continuing in defence

Prediction

Urawa looked organised and impressed in their win against Kobe last week. I feel they are growing momentum and this will be a big test for them. I have this game down as a score draw but slightly favour Urawa with their home advantage

Urawa 2- 2 Niigata

Gamba Osaka vs Sapporo

Notes

• Usami went off with a thigh injury. He hasnt been seen in training yet so is unlikely to start here. I see Arano most likely to fill in midfield.
• Kwong Kyung Won hasnt been seen in training either. There are transfer rumours but nothing substantial on this front either.
• Higashiguchi made his first start in the last game. He made a howler in the last minute that led to the team losing. There are no hints yet if he will be dropped for Tani. This is not ideal for Sorare and I can only suggest to use both keepers in less important teams.
• Jebali also looks unlikely to start so Suzuki is most likely to continue upfront

Notes

• Kobayashii and Ogashiwa both impressed and I see them continuing
• Sugeno not seen in training yet so Gu v likely to start in nets
• Fernandes in full training, I see him being on the bench here

Prediction

Gamba are winless after 4 games and with Usami a doubt here, I can see this game being an uphill battle. Sapporo looked excellent last week with Ogashiwa back in the lineup. I see them winning this game

Gamba 1- 2 Sapporo

Sagan Tosu vs Vissel Kobe

Notes

• Naganuma is suspended for this game
• Nakano came on from the bench last game. I have him back in the starting lineup which would mean Fukuta back into midfield

Notes

• Iniesta has returned from Spain but I dont see him playing here (maybe bench)
• Takahashi has signed on loan from Machida Zelvia and will offer much needed CB cover for Kobe. He hasnt played this season so I dont have him playing this weekend
• Thuler is also now in general training. He is pushing for a start but Kobe likely dont risk him for this game with the international break coming up

Prediction

Kobe should bounce back from their first defeat of the season with narrow in against a inconsistent Sagan side.

Sagan Tosu 1 - 2 Vissel Kobe

Kawasaki Frontale vs Cerezo Osaka

Notes

• Frontale suffered more CB injury woe last week with Yamamura going off with an injury. He hasnt been seen in training so is likely out for this game.
• Tanabe has been recalled from his loan and he can play as a wingback and CB. He has been getting lots of media attention this week
• Ominami will start this game but his CB partner is very uncertain. It could be Kawasaki change to playing with 3 at the back
• Kobayashii and Noborizato are in full training, no indication they are ready to start yet though
• Damiao is not in full training so cant see him appearing this weekend
• Oshima suffered another injury setback and I see Tono or Schmidt replacing him this GW.

Notes

• Cerezo looked more impressive against Sagan Tosu with Kagawa marking his first start of the season with the opening goal.
• I favour the same lineup this week.

Prediction

Both teams have had poor starts to the season. Kawasaki in particular have been dealt with a number of injuries and will likely have to rely on their youth players. Usually they are dominant at home however I see this game being an open game ending in a score draw.

Kawasaki 2-2 Cerezo Osaka

Hiroshima vs Kashiwa Reysol

Notes

• Hiroshima have played the last two games with 2 strikers. However this has been hit and miss. I can see them returning to 1 striker which will allow Mitsuda to play just behind with Nakano as the RWB.
• Kawamura went down with a knock the last game but has been seen in training and should be fine

Notes

• Kashiwa have had a poor start to the season and are winless after 4 games.
• Morita came into nets last game and despite the 3-0 loss, he wasnt to blame for any of the goals. I see him continuing for this game

Prediction

Hiroshima should be too strong for Kashiwa imo. I see only a comfortable win for the home side. There are rumours that if Kashiwa do lose that the manager will be sacked

Hiroshima 2 - 0 Kashiwa

Fukuoka vs Shonan

Notes

• Konno is back in training but remains a doubt to start this game
• After two cleansheets in a row, Nagaishi should continue in nets

Notes

• Tachi spotted in training, hard to know his fitness levels but he could feature here.
• With Ohashi missing we could see Yamashita starting though the experience of Abe or Tariq may well be favoured

Prediction

Fukuoka have surprised me so far with how solid they have been. They are a very difficult team to breakdown though still struggle to score themselves. Overall I see this ending in a low scoring draw

Fukuoka 1-1 Shonan

Results Probability

Finish

I hope found this useful!

As always these are just my own views on the situation based on research for each team.

I will be updating the Discord Channel with any info I see that could prove useful all the way to deadline, so keep a look out for that

If you have any feedback or queries, just give me a shout on Discord

I am running a giveaway for Tier 2 Patreons. The info has been sent out on Discord, let me know you havent seen it or have issues accessing Discord!

Good luck and enjoy the games :)