Kawasaki Frontale will be aiming to end their three-game winless run in the league when they face Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Saturday in the J1 League.
While the hosts will be looking to climb further away from the relegation zone, the visitors are focused on pushing for a top-four finish.
Match preview
Kawasaki have failed to win in three successive games since beating fourth-tier Sony Sendai 2-0 in the Emperor's Cup, a competition they are looking to successfully defend.
Since then, Toru Oniki's side have lost 1-0 to reigning J1 League champions Vissel Kobe before drawing consecutive matches - a 2-2 draw with Albirex Niigata followed by a 1-1 draw against Shonan Bellmare in their last league outing.
Kawasaki have dropped to 15th place, and could be on course for their worst season in the last 16 years, having finished in the top half in each of the previous 15 campaigns, including winning the title in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021.
However, they have shown some good resilience at home in recent weeks, having not lost any of their last six home matches since losing to Machida Zelvia on April 7.
The hosts can also build some confidence from the fact that they have already beaten Saturday's opponents in the last two meetings at home, while losing just one of the last five encounters between the two teams.
Three-time J1 League champions, Hiroshima, had an impressive first half to the season and will be hoping to build on it with the possibility of emulating last season's top-three finish.
However, Michael Skibbe's men are currently in fifth place with 33 points from 20 matches played, leaving them five points behind third-placed Gamba Osaka and seven points adrift of surprise league leaders Machida Zelvia.
While Sanfrecce have proven difficult to beat with just three defeats so far, they have been hampered by their joint-highest tally of nine draws in the league.
After a 1-1 draw with Albirex Niigata in their last league outing, Hiroshima will hope they can convert more draws into wins, starting from Saturday's match.
Skibbe's team will be relying on their goalscoring prowess to do so, as they currently lead the entire division for goals scored (36), three more than second-placed Kashima Antlers.
Team News
Kawasaki are expected to be without the services of Ryota Oshima, Shintaro Kurumaya, Yuichi Maruyama, Sota Miura, Ten Miyagi and Erison.
After spearheading the attack last time out, Shin Yamada could retain his spot as Yu Kobayashi had to settle for a substitute appearance after going off injured against Albirex Niigata.
Kento Tachibanada returned to the starting XI against Shonan Bellmare after missing the previous game through suspension, and he should start alongside Ze Ricardo in the midfield.
For the visitors, Taichi Yamasaki continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a cruciate ligament injury that has kept him out of action since early March.
Makoto Mitsuta returned to the starting XI last time out after serving a one-match suspension and should remain part of a midfield-four, while Pieros Soteriou will be hoping to find the net in successive matches after scoring Hiroshima's only goal against Niigata.
Kawasaki Frontale possible starting lineup:
Jung; Segawa, Jesiel, Ominami, Sasaki; Yamamoto, Tachibanada, Tono; Ienaga, Marcinho, Kobayashi
Sanfrecce Hiroshima possible starting lineup:
Osako; Shiotani, Nakano, Higashi; Arai, T. Matsumoto, H. Matsumoto, Shichi; Ohashi, Sotiriou, Kato
We say: Kawasaki Frontale 1-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
This game is poised to be a tough one, given the resilience of both sides, and we think that the visitors will have to settle for another draw here due to the hosts' current run of six home matches without defeat.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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