GW379 - J1 League Report for Sorare (Patreon)

Intro

We have 9 games this GW in the J1 league.

3 games are on Saturday with 6 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.

This is the last game before the international break so teams have no need to rotate (thats the theory anyway!)

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

Suspended players

The current injury list can be found here. The below highlights the biggest risks/outs for this GW

YFM vs Kashiwa Reysol

Notes - General

• Picked up their third victory in a row with an impressive 2-3 win in a highly charged game against FC Tokyo.
• This win puts them level on points at top of the table with Kobe.
• Tsunoda and Koike are the only long term injuries. Fujita is on international duty with the u21 team and is not available for this game.

Notes - Last Game

• Anderson Lopes scored in the first minute to give the visitors the perfect start.
• He added his second in the second half and now has 4 goals in the last 2 games and is joint top scorer with 11 goals so far this season.
• A red card to Matsuki for FC Tokyo turned the game on the head and substitute Marcos Junior did well to get the winning goal in the last few minutes.

Notes - This game

• No new injury concerns coming into this game. A similar lineup to last time expected.
• MJ vs Nishimura as always is hard to call. Even from the bench, they can do damage as seen last week with MJs winner, good for 220 in particular where low capped players are important.
• Yokohama FM are unbeaten at home this season.

Notes - Key Players

• Hatanaka
• Elber
• Eduardo

Notes - General

• New manager Masami Ihara is still without a win after Kashiwa suffered another loss against Sapporo.
• Their main player Savio has missed the last two games and is a doubt for this one too.
• Keeper Sasaki is with the u23s and unavailable for this game

Notes - Last Game

• This was one of the games of the season so far and though it was highly entertaining, it extended Kashiwas winless run to 5 games and they are now joint bottom of the table.
• Kashiwa were defensively weak but showed a lot of fight to bring the scores level on 3 different times. Despite levelling in injury time, the team were unable to close out the game and conceded with the last kick of the game.

Notes - This Game

• Have only 1 win their last 9 games
• Diego seen in training but unlikely to be ready for this game.
• Savio has been seen in training however its remains unclear if he is fit to start/playing in this game.
• New manager may opt to try different players/formation as he tries to stop the rot.

Notes - Key Players

• Hosoya
• Savio
• Koga

Odds

Cerezo vs Vissel

Notes - General

• Cerezo sit in 6th position after a loss last week.
• Jonjic, Kato and Crooks havent been seen in training and are doubtful for this game.
• Goalkeeper and captain, Kim Jin Hyeon went off at half time, its unclear if this was performance or injury related.

Notes - Last Game

• Cerezo lost for the first time in 4 games with a 3-1 away loss to rivals Nagoya.
• The manager was very unhappy with this performance, making 3 subs at half time.

Notes - This game

• The keeper situation in particular is unclear and its 50/50 if we see a change here. At the moment I have Han Been slight favourite to start.
• The manager is known to change things after a poor performance, making changes in formation and players possible.

Notes - Key Players

• Kagawa
• Ceara
• Okuno

Notes - General

• Kobe are top of the table and playing amazing attacking football.
• Their main CBs, Yamakawa and Kikuchi are out long term. Key player, Gotoku Sakai has been seen in training and my though there is some risk as his match fitness is unclear, I have him to start this game.

Notes - Last Game

• Last weeks game was postponed due to a typhoon though with injuries piling up, the unscheduled break possibly came at a good time.
• In their last game played they beat FC Tokyo 3-2 at home. Kobe were 3-0 up at half time and despite the score line were comfortable winners
• Osako scored his 11th of the season and he and Muto linked up excellently again.

Notes - This game

• Outside the defence where there are injury concerns for a few players the team should remain the same in midfield and attack.
• Leo Osaki is fully fit and can fill in at CB if needed.
• Vissel havent won in their last 6 matches against their local rivals Cerezo Osaka.

Notes - Key Players

• Osako
• Thuler
• Muto

Odds

Sagan Tosu vs Sapporo

Notes - General

• Sagan are midtable after beating bottom side Yokohama FC.
• Honda is confirmed out long term with a knee injury.
• Will give more opportunities to players like Tezuka and Kabayama

Notes - Last Game

• Beat Yokohama FC 1-2 away from home with a clinical performance.
• Tezuka got his second assist in 3 games and is doing very well in Hondas absence.
• Yoichi Naganuma was a constant threat on the right and scored both goals.

Notes - This Game

• No fresh injuries so could see the same lineup as last time around
• Seok Ho Hwang is back from injury and though is to start this season, gives them another option at the back.
• Sagan are unbeaten in 5 league games.

Notes - Key Players

• Park Il-gyu
• Kawahara
• Iwasaki

Notes - General

• Sapporo are the most entertaining team to watch in the league.
• Won 4-5 last week and now sit 7th in the league.
• Kim Gun Hee returned from injury to make the last games squad.
• Aoki was missing and remains doubtful for this game

Notes - Last Game

• Are in tantalizing form going forward and have scored the most goals in the league of any team.
• They have scored an amazing 15 goals in their last 5 games with Kaneko, Ogashiwa and Asano in particular scoring for fun.
• Fernandes started his first game since March and created 4 big chances along with his 1 assist.

Notes - This game

• With Suga suspended, we could see Fukumori return to the lineup.
• This is not a given, there are other options including Nakamura/Baba
• The rest of the lineup should remain the same as it is doing very well recently
• Sugeno had a poor performance last game, not much noise suggesting a change to happen but one to watch in general.
• Sapporo havent had a clean sheet for the past 12 league games

Notes - Key Players

• Kaneko
• Ogashiwa
• Asano

Odds

Niigata vs Kyoto

Notes - General

• Are in poor form with just 1 win in their last 8 league games
• It was confirmed this week their main playmaker, Ryotaro Ito is transferring to the Jupiler League.
• Mito has joined the U22 national team and is unavailable.

Notes - Last Game

• Drew 2-2 against fellow strugglers Shonan.
• Niigata will feel disappointed with only a draw after they took a second half lead.

Notes - This game

• Deng played in the cup game midweek. He is fit to play here but as always the CB situation is unstable.
• Ito played midweek in the cup game and all pre game news points to him to start in his farewell game.

Notes - Key Players

• Ito
• Kojima
• Ko

Notes - General

• Kyoto have now lost 6 leagues games in a row and are without a win in 9 games.
• After a solid start to the season, Kyoto have been sliding down the table and are now just 1 point above bottom spot.

Notes - Last Game

• Kyoto played well in periods again against Hiroshima however lost 3-1.
• Patric came on from the bench, he remains a rotation risk.

Notes - This game

• As the team are in such poor form, the manager may well try new players/tactics. He has done this before when the team are in bad form, just very hard to predict
• Kyoto havent had a cleansheet for 13 league games

Notes - Key Players

• Sota Kawasaki
• Rikito Inoue
• Yuta Tokoyawa

Odds

Nagoya Grampus vs Fukuoka

Notes - General

• Nagoya won their third game in a row last week.
• They are now third in the table just 1 point behind the leaders.

Notes - Last Game

• Conceded in the opening 5 mins against Cerezo. However Grampus bounced back with 3 goals in first half with players such as Nagai and Mateus causing havoc on the wings.
• Mateus after a slow start to the season is in great form and has scored in back to back games.

Notes - This Game

• I expect the same lineup as last week. There are currently have no injury concerns and Nagoya are playing a very consistent lineups each game.
• The one area we may see a change is with Nogami coming in. As Fukuoka are hard to break down, he offers more of an attacking threat and the manager has spoken highly of him.
• Nagoya are unbeaten at home this season.

Notes - Key Players

• Mateus
• Junker
• Inagaki

Notes - General

• Fukuoka slipped to their second straight loss.
• They are winless in their last 5 and have slid to 11th in the table.
• Moriyama and Kamekawa remain long term injuries.

Notes - Last Game

• Lost only their 2nd home game of the season to Gamba
• It was an even game and Fukauoka had their chances. We also saw Ideguchi return to get some minutes.
• The keeper changed again and this position remains v unstable

Notes - This Game

• Fukuoka won 2-0 midweek in the Emperors Cup
• Keeper Yamanoi got the cleansheet and there is some talk of him pushing for a start.
• Fukuoka have only lost once at home this season

Notes - Key Players

• Yamagishi
• Nara
• Mae

Odds

Kashima vs Shonan

Notes - General

• Kashima drew their third game in a row against Urawa.
• They are now unbeaten in 10 and after a poor start to the season, now sit in 8th position.
• Chinen is their main injury worry coming into this game.

Notes - Last Game

• Failed to taker their chances against a strong Urawa team.
• Sano returned to the lineup after being out some time with an injury.
• Despite not getting the, Kashima will be happy with the performance and they remain a very hard team to breakdown

Notes - This Game

• A similar lineup to last week is expected.
• Players like Doi are experienced and may come in for this clash
• Chinen is back to light training but this game will be too soon for him.
• Antlers have the best away record in the league

Notes - Key Players

• Suzuki
• Higashi
• Ueda

Notes - General

• Shonan halted their losing streak with a draw however still remain winless in 9 games.
• Yamada, Yamamoto and Ikeda are out for this game with injuries
• Sugioka is suspended after picking up his 4th yellow card of the season against Niigata.

Notes - Last Game

• Machino opened the scoring early with the 8th of his season. However two lovely goals by Niigatas Taniguchi made it look like Shonan were going to lose for the 6th straight game.
• Onone equalized in the last 10 mins to force a draw. Even with this point, Shonan are now joint bottom of the table and struggling in defense especially.

Notes - This Game

• Tachii likely to replace Sugioka but could see alternatives used
• Ohashi is in training though unclear if hes fit enough to start. He wasnt in the squad midweek - not clear if that was tactical/fitness related
• Akito Suzuki continues to impress, he scored a hat-trick midweek
• Are the only J1 team yet to have a cleansheet this season

Notes - Key Players

• Machino
• Ishihara
• Sugioka

Odds

Gamba vs FC Tokyo

Notes - General

• Gamba moved away from the bottom of the table after their second successive win away to Fukuoka.
• The returning Yuki Yamamoto has been the catalyst in improvements in their  performances.

Notes - Last Game

• Gamba bounced back from a goal down to win against a Fukuoka side who has one of the strongest home records in the league.
• Usami returned from suspension but could only make the bench. Genta Miura returned from injury to start and scored what proved to be the winning goal.
• Goalkeeper Higashiguchi also had another impressive performance to cement his starting spot after losing it earlier in the season.

Notes - This Game

• Kyung - Won went off midweek with an injury and is highly doubtful for this game.
• Kurokawa is pushing for a start. The manager has been tweaking his defence a lot so its hard to predict.
• Gamba havent had a cleansheet in 11 games and have only 1 home win from their 8 games at the Panasonic stadium this season.

Notes - Key Players

• Alano
• Lavi
• Usami

Notes - General

• FC Tokyo lost 3-2 for the second successive game to drop down to 12th in the table.
• They now havent won in 4 games and will be missing their young star, Kuruyu Matsuki who picked up a red car in the second half.

Notes - Last Game

• The manager will be fuming after giving away an early lead. To Tokyos credit them bounced back excellently and fully deserved to take the lead going into the break.
• The game was highly charged and both teams had their chances. Yokohama FM equalized early in the second half but the games momentum completely changed after Matsuki was deservedly sent off for elbowing Marcos Junior.
• FC Tokyo held on bravely but were undone in the closing minutes when Marcos Junior scored a scrappy winner.

Notes - This game

• Koizumi went off at halftime in the last game. He has been seen in training, its unclear if hes fit enough to start. My hunch is he will.
• Players such as Aoki and Higashi most likely to lineup in midfield in place of the suspended Matsuki.
• The rest of the team should remain the same as last week. With the poor run of form, the manager may well shake things up a little.

Notes - Key Players

• Slowik
• Koizumi
• Nakagawa

Odds

Yokohama FC vs Urawa Reds

Notes - General

• Lost their second game in a row to return to the bottom of the table
• Manager was forced to makes changes in the last game after a number of players including striker Ogawa werent match fit.
• Have no known injury concern outside Bueno who is out long term.

Notes - Last Game

• Continued with a 3-4-2-1 formation
• Were outplayed in all departments by Sagan Tosu
• Marcelo Ryan got his first goal of the season with a well taken finish.

Notes - This Game

• Ogawa and Hasegawa missed the last game with slight injuries. They are both in full training and set to return

Notes - Key Players

• Brodersen
• Ogawa
• Iwatake

Notes - General

• Urawa continued their excellent form with a hard fought draw with Kashima.
• They are now 5th in the league but also have a game in hand.
• There are no known injury concerns.
• Suzuki and Hayakawa are on international duty and unavailable for this game

Notes - Last Game

• Linssen started only his 4th game of the season. He however failed to impress and was taken off at half time.
• Iwao was also rested with Yasui lining up next to Ito in midfield.
• The game had few chances and Urawa will be content with a 0-0 draw against a strong and inform Kashima side.

Notes - This game

• Koizumi played in the league cup and could feature this weekend. The bench is more likely.
• I expect a similar lineup to last week with Iwao looking to return.
• Linssen also played the full game midweek so I see him unlikely to start this game.
• Urawa havent lost in their last 6 games and have won their last 4 games against their opposition Yokohama FC.

Notes - Key Players

• Scholz
• Iwao
• Nishikawa

Odds

Kawasaki vs Hiroshima

• Were dominant in their 2-0 home win against Kashiwa
• Kobayashii started his first game of the season and impressed
• Marcinho is confirmed out for 3 months. Jesiel is in training but will need some time to get up to match fitness.

Notes - Last Game

• Last weeks game against Kobe was postponed
• In the game against Kashiwa we saw Wakizaka and Schmidt return from suspension
• After 2 defeats in a row, this victory moved Kawasaki up to 9th
• Miyashiro caused problems for Kashiwa but again was let down by v poor finishing
• Kobayashii started and performed v well as the striker.

Notes - This Game

• Oshima has started the previous previous 2 games in midfield. Seko and Tachibanada are fighting for a starting spot and hard to call who starts this game
• I expect Kobayashii to continue as striker after impressing last week
• Haven't lost to Hiroshima in their last 7 matchups.

Notes - Key Players

• Ienaga
• Wakizaka
• Yamane

Notes - General

• Sanfrecce impressed in their 3-1 home win against the struggling Kyoto.
• They are now 4th in the table.
• Sotiriou pulled out of international duty and is now receiving treatment in Cyprus. Him and Mitsuda are confirmed out for this game.

Notes - Last Game

• Douglas Vieira started only his second game of the season.
• Team struggled to breakdown Kyoto in the first half in an even game.
• Chajima scored twice and a delightful run and finish from his own half saw Kawamura score the third

Notes - This Game

• Vieira should start again after he was benched/rested midweek
• Shiotani hasnt been seen in training so Alani is likely to remain the CB

Notes - Key Players

• Sasaki
• Notsuda
• Higashi

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 :)