GW375 - J1 League Report for Sorare (Patreon)

Intro

We have 9 games this GW in the J1 league.

5 games are on Saturday with 4 on Sunday.

The full list including which are on Youtube are below:

There is more risk with the Sunday games in general as we wont get all the press conference and training news before the deadline.

We also had midweek league games so some players will have fatigue/teams at higher risk of rotation.

For Tier 2 and Tier 1 Patreons, I am doing a giveaway on Discord this GW. The deadline is todays GWs! If you have any issues seeing the giveaway info, just let me know!

Predicted Lineups

These can also be found on Playsharper website here . Also note that all the betting odds and lineup pics are taken direct from them!

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!

Injuries and Suspensions

The below are suspended or cant play this GW due to contractual reasons:

The below are the main new injuries and key players who are doubts and to keep an eye out on new info

Sapporo vs Nagoya

Notes - General

• Sapporo have won 3 games in a row and 6 out of their last 8 league and cup games
• Gu Hee Kim is out with an injury
• Tanaka,Miyzawa,Baba all left the pitch with an injury last week

Notes - Last Game

• Beat Kyoto 2-1 with in form Asano and Kaneko both scoring.
• Asano has 5 goals in his last 5 games and is in excellent form
• A few players went off with knocks/injuries and werent present in the cup game midweek.

Notes - This game

• Tanaka in full training, still a risk but I have him to start
• Aoki returned from the bench in the cup. We could see Komai move into midfield with Aoki in the more attacking position
• Fernandes doing well and scored midweek. As Sapporo in great form, I see him coming on off from the bench

Notes - Key Players

• Fukumori
• Kaneko
• Ogashiwa

Notes - General

• Recovered from a goal behind to beat Hiroshima at home
• Moved up to third in the table just 1 point behind YFM

Notes - Last Game

• Maruyama came in for Nogami. This was a tactical choice and Maruyama did excellent
• Izumi returned to the starting X11 and I expect him to continue

Notes - This Game

• Rotated fully for the league cup game
• The team should remain the same as the last league game.
• Maruyama is slight favourite over Nogami for this game but the manager likes both players so this is one spot I see being a rotation risk in general.

Notes - Key Players

• Mateus
• Junker
• Inagaki

Odds

Kobe vs FC Tokyo

Notes - General

• Drew 1-1 again Kashiwa after a huge mistake by Honda who passed into his own net when Maekawa was the other side of the box!
• Remain top of the league and havent lost in 5 games.
• Sakai remains doubtful as not seen in training yet

Notes - Last Game

• Despite Hondas own goal, he likely remains at the back as Iino is still not 100% and Sakai is also doubtful
• Osako scored his 10th goal of the season and is the league top scorer

Notes - This game

• Iniesta announced he will be leaving with next weeks game being his last. I expect him to be on the bench for either/both these games for his farewell
• Outside this, a similar lineup is expected after Kobe rotated fully midweek for the cup

Notes - Key Players

• Osako
• Thuler
• Muto

Notes - General

• Held the inform Kashima to a draw last week with a fortunate penalty
• Kashif injured himself in the midweek cup game and I expect him to be out for a little while
• There was limited rotation in the cup game with players like Morishige and Kimoto playing the full 90. This makes the rotation risk more possible here

Notes - Last Game

• Diego scored the penalty after going down to a challenge from Sekigawa

Notes - This game

• With 2 days rest since the last game, there is rotation risk for this game. We have seen already this season that the manager changes things up when 3 games inside a week
• Morishige, Kimoto, Abe in particular are at risk. I still have them as playing but  there is uncertainty

Notes - Key Players

• Slowik
• Koizumi
• Nakagawa

Odds

Hiroshima vs Shonan

Notes - General

• Have lost 2 games in a row and now find themselves 5th
• Also lost midweek in the cup game whilst playing a strong team
• Shiotani is out injured for the next two weeks.

Notes - Last Game

• Despite dominating possession, Hiroshima were well beaten by Nagoya who tactically were excellent.
• This was Vieiras first starts of the season. He did well despite not scoring.

Notes - This Game

• Skibbe said he was v happy with the second half performance in the league cup. He was critical of Shichi and Morishima. Jelani could come in at the back
• Despite the losses, the performance of Ezequiel have been good and they have been a little unlucky in places.
• They play again midweek against Urawa so although Skibbe likes stable teams, there is an increased rotation risk. We have already seen this season he isnt afraid to rotate
• I can see Ben Khalifa coming in for example and wouldnt be surprised if we saw other spots freshened up.

Notes - Key Players

• Sasaki
• Notsuda
• Higashi

Notes - General

• Shonan suffered their 4 defeats in a row. They are now second bottom and are winless in 7 games
• Yamada, Yamamoto, Ikeda and Ohashi are out for this game

Notes - Last Game

• Lost to Cerezo in a 0-2 home loss
• Onose returned from injury and Tariq also made the bench. Okamoto was preferred to Tachi also.

Notes - This Game

• As Hata and Tachi played the full 90 min in the midweek league cup, they are at risk of not starting
• Tariq could come in to start. The striker partner of Machino has been changing  also.
• Havent won away from home for 3 months

Notes - Key Players

• Machino
• Ishihara
• Sugioka

Odds

Sagan Tosu vs Kashima Antlers

Notes - General

• Chalked up an impressive home win against Niigata last week
• Honda is confirmed out long term with a knee injury. Will give more opportunities to players like Tezuka and Kabayama
• Having another inconsistent season but at the same time delivering above expectations considering they have the smallest budget in the J1 league!

Notes - Last Game

• Park Il-gyu had another excellent game and this was his third clean sheet in a row
• Seok Ho Hwang returned to action for the first time in the season off the bench

Notes - This Game

• Naganuma returns from suspension and should go straight into the starting X11
• Tezuka should also start after impressing last week and resting in the midweek cup game
• With Seok Ho Hwang back to fitness - the defense situation is a little unclear ie who if anyone makes way and formation. One to monitor for now.

Notes - Key Players

• Park Il-gyu
• Kawahara
• Iwasaki

Notes - General

• Kashima Antlers conceded their first goal in 6 games in last weeks 1-1 draw.
• They were hit by the blow of Chinen going off with an injury in the mid week cup game. He is out for 4 weeks

Notes - Last Game

• Kakita scored the opener after a delightful cross from Anzai. It was his first goal in 5 games.
• Despite the draw, Antlers remain unbeaten in 6 games and are in excellent form and currently 4th in the league.

Notes - This Game

• A similar lineup to last week is expected. Someno is back from injury and should make the bench in Chinens absence
• Players like Doi and Matsumura are versatile and can come in if needed
• Antlers have the best away record in the league

Notes - Key Players

• Suzuki
• Higashi
• Ueda

Odds

Kyoto vs Urawa

Notes - General

• Have lost 4 leagues games in a row and without a win in 7 games
• After a solid start to the season, Kyoto have been sliding down the table and are now in the bottom 5

Notes - Last Game

• Did well against an inform Sapporo team. Patric took his goal well from a counter attack.
• Despite this Sapporo and their free flowing style were too good for Kyoto in the end
• We saw changes in attack with Yamada and Kimura preferred in attack. Unclear if that was a one off or not.

Notes - This game

• Ota got a cleansheet in the cup game midweek. A previous time this led to him starting the following league game. No hint this will happen this game but its clear Wakahara position is at risk.
• Toyokawa and Kinoshita surprisingly didnt play last week. I feel it was for tactical reasons and I expect them to return here. Kinoshita played 85 mins midweek so is at more risk of resting
• Though also not a given, I expect Patric to start this game. I think he always does well esp against physical defenses like Urawa.

Notes - Key Players

• Sota Kawasaki
• Rikito Inoue
• Yuta Tokoyawa

Notes - General

• Urawa drew 0-0 against Fukuoka. Nishikawa made some excellent saves and was the man of the match.
• Returned to the 4-2-3-1 formation. Manager did change things in the second half and Schalk in particular did well after coming on
• Koizumi was missing from the squad with a slight injury. Akimoto picked up a knock and both are risks.

Notes - Last Game

• A very even game against Fukuoka ended in a draw
• Urawa were a little disappointing in attack, not really creating many clear cut chances and were thankful to Nishikawa to earn them a point

Notes - This game

• Hiroki Sakai played some mins in the league cup. He is pushing for a start in this game.
• Manager has said he wants to continue to try different options. He may well do this from the bench rather than the start.
• Kante has been disappointing so far however he scored a great goal in the cup midweek. As he played the full 90mins, he likely starts from the bench but is one to watch. The manager knows him well from managing him previously.
• Urawa have only suffered 1 defeat in their last 10 league games. Urawa also play Hiroshima midweek so rotation risk in general is higher due to fixture congestion.

Notes - Key Players

• Scholz
• Iwao
• Nishikawa

Odds

YFM vs Fukuoka

Notes - General

• Returned to winning ways with a 0-2 away win against Gamba to move within 2 points of the top of the table
• Matsubara was sent off and will miss this game through suspension
• Ichimori returns to nets after missing the last game due to contractual reasons

Notes - Last Game

• Nagato got his 1st goal of the season and also assisted Nishimura for the opener.
• Kida and Watanabe returned to play together in midfield for the first time in 4 games

Notes - This game

• With Matsumura suspended, there is no natural RB available. Kamijima is favourite but we may well see a youth player or Yuta Koike/Kimura there
• YFM are unbeaten at home this season. They have also scored the most goals at home of any team
• Lopes hasnt scored in his last 5 games

Notes - Key Players

• Hatanaka
• Elber
• Eduardo

Notes - General

• Have had a better than expected season and sit just 3 points off the top 5.
• Were impressive against Urawa. Lukian moved to the left wing again & impressed
• When they play 4 at the back like last week, we see a CB from Miya/Nara/Grolli dropped to the bench
• Ideguchi, Moriyama and Kamekawa remain long term injuries. Nakamara returned to action in the midweek cup win.

Notes - Last Game

• Murakami got his 2nd cleansheet in a row and will start this game.
• Ota returned after suspension and did well
• Lukian proved a handful all game and Konno also caused trouble on the counter

Notes - This Game

• Based on Miya playing the full 90 mins midweek, I expect to see him benched and Fukuoka continue with 4 at the back.
• Nakamara is contention to start in midfield though he could be eased in from the bench
• Fukuoka are winless away from home so far this season

Notes - Key Players

• Yamagishi
• Nara
• Mae

Odds

Niigata vs Gamba Osaka

Notes - General

• Are in poor form with just 1 win in their last 6 league game
• Deng returned to start in the league cup midweek

Notes - Last Game

• Were guilty of not taking their opportunities in their 2-0 loss to Sagan Tosu
• Dominated possession but were sloppy in defence and punished from Sagan only two chances

Notes - This game

• Hoshi is the only known doubt for this game
• With Deng back to full fitness, we have a bit of a CB lottery again as the manager likes to rotate!

Notes - Key Players

• Ito
• Kojima
• Ko

Notes - General

• Suffered their 5th straight of the season and are now 4 points adrift at the bottom of the table
• Usami is suspended for this game. Yuki Yamamoto returned last week and played the full 90 in the midweek game

Notes - Last Game

• Another game where they looked decent in patches and had some ref decisions go against them. However, ultimately they lost and were unable to capitalise with playing against 10 men for 30 minutes
• Higashiguchi was in nets again. His postion vs Tani is still unstable
• Miura has a slight injury but is now back in training.

Notes - This Game

• Kyung - Won was missing from the squad the last game and midweek cup match and is doubtful here
• With Usami suspended, we could see Yuki Yamamoto take this role.The alternative options are Ishige or Kurata
• Are winless away from home, on average conceeding 3 goals a game and havent had a cleansheet for 9 games.

Notes - Key Players

• Usami
• Alano
• Lavi

Odds

Cerezo Osaka vs Yokohama FC

Notes - General

• Have won back to back for the first time in the league this season
• Both games were cleansheets after they changed to 4-4-2 formation
• Jonjic hasnt been sene in training and is doubtful here

Notes - Last Game

• Comfortably beat Shonan 0-2
• Ceara scored his 6th goal of the season and went off with a knock. He came in the league cup game so looks fit to play here

Notes - This game

• Are likely to continue with 4-4-2 formation for this game.
• Harakawa got some mins in the cup game. Its unclear where he fits and its more likely they stick to same formation/lineup thats been successful in the last two games
• With Jonjic likely out, I also expect Shindo to continue

Notes - Key Players

• Kagawa
• Ceara
• Okuno

Notes - General

• YFC have completely turned around their season. They picked up their 3rd win in 4 games last week against Kawasaki
• Koki Ogawa and Yuri Lara who were both suspended for that game return this GW
• Are now 5 points above the relegation spot

Notes - Last Game

• Continued with a 3-4-2-1 formation with Yamashita and Inoue with the goals
• Brodersen was excellent in nets and made some key saves as Frontale laid seige on the YFC goal in the second half
• Yamane went off with an injury and is a doubt for this game

Notes - This Game

• Koki Ogawa and Yuri Lara are expected to return after suspension. Lara did play the full 90 mins in the cup so is at risk of being benched.
• Outside this, likely keep close to the same team as the last game.

Notes - Key Players

• Brodersen
• Ogawa
• Iwatake

Odds

Kawasaki vs Kashiwa

Notes - General

• Were guilty of not taking there chances and being poor in defence in their 2-1 loss against YFC last week
• Was their second loss in a row and there disappointing season continues in mid table
• Marcinho is confirmed out for 3 months

Notes - Last Game

• With Wakizaka and Schmidt suspended, Tachibanada and Oshima came in
• Yamamura also played in place of Ominami.
• Miyashiro caused problem for YFC but was let down by v poor finishing

Notes - This Game

• Wakizaka will return for this game. Schmidt should also return however with him playing the full 90 midweek, there is some risk here.
• I personally think Schmidt makes a huge positive difference for the team. The manager in the past has dropped him hence my caution here
• Tono and Segawa are the most likely to play on the LW
• Ominami is back in full training and likely returns to partner Kurumaya in defence

Notes - Key Players

• Ienaga
• Wakizaka
• Yamane

Notes - General

• New manager Ihara was able to get a draw in his first game against top of the table Kobe
• It was a fortunate goal with Honda scoring a bizarre own goal trying to pass back to his keeper
• The team maintained a similar shape at 4-2-3-1. Sento is still a doubt for this game

Notes - Last Game

• Kawaguchi came in for Mitsumaru. Its unclear who is preferred between the two
• Matsumoto remained in nets
• Grot who has been injured came off from the bench and also started the cup game

Notes - This Game

• Sento remains a doubt for this game
• Matsumoto has done reasonably well in nets. Though we cant rule out a change, I expect him to continue
• I cautiously have kept the same setup as the last game. For me, its one to watch what the new manager does/says as this is only his second league game in charge.

Notes - Key Players

• Hosoya
• Savio
• Koga

Odds

Finish

I hope found this useful!

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

If any info comes out before the deadline, I will post it on Discord

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

Good luck and enjoy the games :)