Cerezo Osaka will be pushing to break into the top three of the J1 League when they play host to Avispa Fukuoka on Friday.

The visitors, meanwhile, are currently in the bottom half of the table and have failed to win any of their last seven league matches.

Match preview

Cerezo Osaka have been one of the most dominant teams in the J1 League so far this season which is why they currently sit fifth in the division.

The team have tended to be dominant in victory or struggled with defeat having won 10 and drawn six with only two draws in between them, but they remain in a strong position to move further up the table.

Heading into this weekend, Cerezo Osaka could climb as high as third if other results go in their favour, providing plenty of incentive heading into this one.

Akio Kogiku's men showcased their qualities last weekend when they won 4-1 against Consadole Sapporo, with four different players on the scoresheet.

With the attacking side of the game having proven to be a strength for them so far, it is something that Cerezo Osaka will be focusing on as they head into this match.

For the visitors, they will be attempting to win their first away match of the season in the J1 League as they make a bid to start progressing up the division.

Avispa Fukuoka are currently twelfth in the division and with only eight points between them and the relegation zone the team will be hoping to end that poor run of form as soon as they can.

They head into this match on the back of seven consecutive league matches without a victory, which has been an issue for them in terms of building any momentum.

Their most recent outing finished in a 3-0 loss despite the fact that they dominated possession and had 16 shots throughout the game.

The result might not have been what Avispa Fukuoka wanted, but the performance certainly showed that there is potential that Shigetoshi Hasebe will be hoping manifests into some points sooner, rather than later.

Team News

Hiroshi Kiyotake, Kim Jin-hyeon and Riku Matsuda have all been on the sidelines as of late for the hosts which is likely to continue in this match.

Leonardo de Sousa Pereira should feature in the attack for this match due to the quality that he has been providing as of late, fresh from scoring this past weekend.

Wellington has been the main threat for the visitors in front of goal, with the Brazilian expected to be starting in this particular match.

The flat 4-4-2 formation is something that should continue in this one due to the fact it should provide more defensive structure, which has been needed as of late.

Cerezo Osaka possible starting lineup:
Yang; Maikuma, Shindo, Toriumi, Funaki; Croux, Kida, Kagawa, Capixaba; Pereira, Leo Ceara

Avispa Fukuoka possible starting lineup:
Nagaishi; Yuzawa, Nara, Mikuni, Oda; Konno, Ideguchi, Mae, Sato; Wellington, Yamagishi

We say: Cerezo Osaka 2-0 Avispa Fukuoka

The fact that Avispa Fukuoka have failed to win a single match on the road this season is not something that sets them in good stead heading into this one, which is why Cerezo Osaka will be confident of securing three points here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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