Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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J2 League, Japan
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odds:
www.bwin.com
Mito Hollyhock
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Cerezo Osaka
Mito travelled to league leaders Consadole last round, where they as one should expect, lost big. It was top vs bottom, and probably the 2 most defensively-styled teams that met. Consadole were lucky to go up 1-0 in the 1st minute though, forcing Mito to attack. The game were pretty one sides though, as Mito struggled to get through the ultra-tight Consadole defence. Consadole outshout Mito 14-5, and scored 2 more goals late in the game to win 3-0. That was Mito’s first loss for a month. Cerezo played Ehime at home last round, in what was new coach Levir Culpi’s first game in charge. As usual, Cerezo created lots of chances with their offensive free-flow play, but yet again, they failed to convert their chances. Ehime proved to be alot more efficient, scoring 1 in each half, after some poor defending from Cerezo. Ehime looked very dangerous up front, and deserved the win. Ze Carlos made an earlier return from his injury than expected, but the Cerezo star didn’t have a particularly good day. He wasn’t as good as he usually is, and late in the second half he picked up his 2nd yellow card to be earned a red card.
Their first meeting ended 0-0, and were a pretty dull encounter. Neither teams created much chances, so a 0-0 draw was a fair result. Cerezo dominated the play, but struggled to get past a packed Mito defence. That was the teams first ever meeting actually. Mito’s home form this year is 0-1-6, and they’re still chasing their 1st win. Their one draw came in their last home game though, against Tokushima. Cerezo away isn’t much better, with 1-1-5 so far. Mito are still without 3 regular defenders, but 2 weeks ago they brought the youngster Kato, and last round he got his full debut as a central defender. Despite losing 3-0, he put on an impressive display and looks to become a valuable player for them while the first choices are out with their long-time injuries. Cerezo are ”as usual” without several key members here, especially on the offensive part. Even though Mito are fielding a 2nd-string defence, I doubt we’ll see many goals. The Cerezo youngsters up-front have struggled all season, and they might do it here as well. Mito have only scored 3 goals at home so far, while Cerezo has 6 goals away. We might see another nil-nil result here, but Cerezo MUST win this.
Win for: CEREZO
Kyoto Sanga F.C.
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Ehime FC
Kyoto travelled to Thespa in the weekend, where they picked up their 3rd away win in a row. The game ended 1-0 after a last-minute goal from midfielder Tokushige. Kyoto were the best team, producing 17 shots to Thespa’s 7. Thespa fought hard though and could have ended up win the win. However, all in all it was a fair result. Ehime travelled to Osaka, where they beat Cerezo 2-0. Cerezo outshot them 17-10, but Ehime created the most dangerous chances. In fact, Ehime looked deadly up front for most of the game, and could have scored a few more as well. As usual Cerezo created their fair share of goal-scoring opportunities themselves, but their poor finishing let them down once again. The win put a stop to Ehime’s 4 game losing-streak, and put them only 4 points behind Cerezo in the table.
Kyoto are still without their first-choice in goal, but their replacement have done his stuff pretty good so far. For this game, the very important FW Paulinho is out due to suspension.
In their first meeting this season, Ehime fired on all sylinders, and won 3-0 at home. The game wasn’t as one sides as the scoreline suggests though, and Kyoto actually created the most chances. Kyoto got 2 players sent off in the latter stage of the 2nd half, but by then Ehime were already 2-0 up. That game is the only time the teams have met actually. Kyoto’s home form is 2-4-1 this season, while Ehime away got 2-1-4. Kyoto climbed into joint 3rd place with their last win, and now looks like one of the major contenders for promotion after a somewhat bumpy start. They’ve been struggling against the more minor teams this season though, which their 0-3 loss at Ehime shows. If it’s their star players that’s having trouble motivating themselves for the ”small” matches is uncertain, but they have to start winning those games as well if they want promotion. The last game at Thespa was positive though, and I can’t really see them lose this one. Even without Paulinho up front, they have enough firepower in Andrè and Nakayama/Tahara to tear down the dodgy Ehime defence. Also the highly rated AM Kuranuki made his first start for the club last round after being out with a long-term injury, and will probably start this as well. Ehime looked good at Cerezo last round though, and just might upset Kyoto once again here. Anyway, I think we’ll see a Kyoto team who wants revenge for the shameful loss last time they met. Ehime hasn’t been that bad away though, only conceding 7 goals in their first 7 games. And Kyoto have only scored more than one goal 2 times ( total of 8 in 7 games) so far at home, so it looks set for a close battle with few goals.
Win for: KYOTO
Montedio Yamagata
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Tokushima Vortis
Montedio didn’t play last round, so their last game were against Tokyo Verdy at home. The game were pretty even, and ended 1-1. Montedio are well rested for this game, which might prove to be an advantage. Tokyo took the lead around the hour mark, but just 5 minutes later Montedo replied to level the score. All in all it was a fair result. Tokushima somewhat surprisingly beat Vegalta away, 2-1. Vegalta started the best, going up 1-0 right at the break. Tokushima levelled the score just 5 minutes into the 2nd half though, and clinched the win with a 83rd minute goal. Vegalta got 2 players sent off though, one in each half. Tokushima outshot the hosts 21-11 in an exciting game.
Montedio’s injury list got a little bigger since last round, and they are without at least 3 regular starters for this game. They have a pretty big squad though, and their replacement players aren’t that bad. In their first meeting, Montedio won 1-0 after an early goal. Montedio played smart that game, defending well and went for counter attacks. Tokushima created the most chances that game, but it was a deserved result. History matches gives us 5-2-2 for Montedio, with Montedio winning the last 5 actually. The games usually provided lots of goals for both teams. Montedio are of course big favorites here, but Tokushima are the draw-masters of J2, and with the missing Montedio players, they might manage a draw here as well. Still, I think Montedio takes their 6th straight win against Tokushima.
Win for: MONTEDIO
Sagan Tosu
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Vegalta Sendai
Sagan upset Avispa away last round, winning 2-1 away. Avispa got off to a good start, and looked like they were to continue on their nice run. By half time Avispa were up by 1-0, and they started the 2nd half pretty good as well. However, Sagan equalized in the 60th minute, and 10 minutes later, they stunned the home crowd to go up 2-1. Avispa pushed for their 2nd goal, but the Sagan defence withstood the pressure for the rest of the game. Sagan fought hard, but must find themselves fortunate to get away with a win. Vegalta lost as well, home to Tokushima. Vegalta have been much better away than home this season, but they started well against Tokushima, going 1-0 up by half time. Most people expected them to continue in the 2nd half, but Tokushima proved to be a tougher opponent than expected. Vegalta got their topscorer Bandai sent off early in the 1st half, but even with 10 men they looked the best team, However, when MF Chiba got sent off as well midway through the 2nd half, Tokushima took more and more over. Vegalta didn’t manage to hold out for the draw, and lost 2-1 after a goal in the dying minutes. After 11 games on a row without a loss, Vegalta has now lost 3 of the 4 last games.
In the first meeting, Vegalta ran riot with Sagan, winning 5-2. In that game, Bandai, who is out for this game, scored a hat-trick. Previous meetings gives us 7-0-6. Sagan’s home form this year is 4-0-3, but on 2 occasions have they lost 0-5. Vegalta away got an impressive 5-2-1 this year. Sagan can field their best lineup here, while Vegalta are without a few important players. It’s hard to say which Sagan team that shows up here, but either way, the game promises a lot of goals. Vegalta are the highest scoring team in the league, and Sagan have the worst record. Vegalta are of course favorites, but ther recent slump in form might go against them. The teams have never drawn before, but that’s a possibility here.
Win for: VEGALTA
Shonan Bellmare
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Consadole Sapporo
Shonan travelled to Tokyo last round, where they were unlucky to lose 1-0. Shonan created by far most chances, and outshot the hosts 17 to 8.Shonan played over half the game 11 to 10, as the Tokyo defender Fukuda got sent off in the 38th minute. The loss saw Shonan slip back into 6th place, but they are still in touching distance of the teams battling for 3rd. Consadole met Mito at home, and blew the away side with a well-deserved 3-0 win. Consadole went 1-0 up already in the 1st minute, which forced the visitors to open up and attack. This suited the very well-organized Consadole perfect, as they could lay low and go for counter attacks. 2 more goals late in game secured all 3 points for the home team.
Shonan held Consadole to a 0-0 draw in their first meeting. The scoreline reflected the game good, with neither teams looking any interested in attacking. Shonan created most chances, but all in all a fair result. Their previous meetings gives us 3-8-5 for Shonan. Shonan home got 4-1-2 this season, while Consadole away also got 4-1-2. Consadole are in great form, winning 6 of their last 7 games. They are now 5 points clear at the top. Shonan finds themselves battling for 3rd at the moment, and after a slump in their form, they now look back on track. They were unfortunate last game against Tokyo, and should have got at least a point there. It’s a very open game, with Consadole as natural favorites. The game doesn’t promises many goals, as both teams are very defensive in their style. Consadole holds the best defensive record by far as well, and Shonan actually has the 3rd best.
Win for: CONSADOLE
Tokyo Verdy 1969
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Avispa Fukuoka
Tokyo looks to have found their form again now, getting 7 points from their last 3 games. Before that, they lost 7 games in a row. They met a good Bellmare side last round, and were somewhat fortunate to pick up a 1-0 win. Defender Kensaku Fukuda were sent off in the 38th minute, which of course affected Tokyo’s approach to the rest of the game. Bellmare looked very good, constantly creating chances. For once though, the Tokyo defence and their GK withstood the pressure to keep a clean sheet for the first time in 10 games. Tokyo’s goal came from an unlikely hold, as MF Yoshitake scored his 1st goal ever for Tokyo. Yoshitake, who came from now J1 team Yokohama FC prior to this season, hasn’t been as good as he was expected to be this year. He was an important member for Yokohama, and this goal might be a small breakthrough for the midfielder.All in all though, a win for Tokyo was an ok result. Avispa had Sagan at home, and surprisingly lost 2-1. Avispa were up by half time after defender Toru Miyamoto scored his first ever J.League goal. However, Sagan wanted it different, and with 2 goals in the middle of the 2nd half, they were suddenly the team in front. Avispa was by far the best team, and created the most chances. They didn’t manage to score any more goals though, and went on their 2nd straight home loss.
In their first meeting, Avispa won 2-1 after a last minute goal by Alex. Avispa were the better team, outshooting the visitors 14-5. That game,which actually were the first meeting between the teams ever, proved to be the start of Tokyo’s 7 lost games in a row streak. Tokyo’s home form this year is 4-0-3, while Avispa away got 4-1-1. It’s a pretty open game that promises a lot of goals, as only Vegalta have scored more goals than them this season. Both teams have scored 26 goals so far. Tokyo holds the 2nd worst defensive record though, with a total of 27 conceded goals. Avispa’s form have taken a dip lately, while Tokyo’s form is on it’s way up. It’s hard to tell which team will win this though, but I hold Tokyo as small favorites most because of their recent form. Narrow home win seems probable.
Win for: TOKYO
Thespa Kusatsu has the day off.
http://cerezo-osaka.blogspot.com
Japan League 2 (23.05.07)
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