Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Kashima Antlers win with a probability of 41.04%. A win for Sanfrecce Hiroshima had a probability of 32.41% and a draw had a probability of 26.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Kashima Antlers win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.65%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.63%) and 0-2 (7.29%). The likeliest Sanfrecce Hiroshima win was 1-0 (9.23%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.62%). The actual scoreline of 1-4 was predicted with a 1.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Kashima Antlers would win this match.