Kyoto Sanga will be looking to build upon back-to-back wins as they aim to move out of the J1 League relegation zone when they host Urawa Red Diamonds at the Sanga Stadium on Sunday.
The hosts are 18th in the league and two points from safety, while the visitors sit comfortably mid-table, 14 points behind the leaders and 11 points above the drop zone.
Match preview
Kyoto Sanga had a difficult start to their campaign, securing only two wins in their first 17 matches, alongside 10 losses and five draws, leaving them on the joint-fewest points alongside Consadole Sapporo on 11.
However, the end of that run saw Cho Kwi-jae's men draw in back-to-back games followed by three wins and a draw in the following five matches, seeing them climb up the table and move into touching distance of safety.
Wins against Shonan Bellmare and Avispa Fukuoka in their most recent league outings secured Kyoto Sanga their first consecutive victories in the J1 League this season, and a 3-1 triumph over Shimizu S-Pulse in the Emperor Cup in their last game has them in fantastic form heading into this one.
While their form may have improved in the past weeks, Kyoto Sanga are still the worst-performing side in the division when playing in their home ground, taking just five points from 10 outings at the Sanga Stadium.
Fortunately for the hosts, Urawa have faced difficulties on their travels with just 11 points from 10 away fixtures, leaving them in 15th in the away table.
Per Mathias Hogmo was appointed as manager after Maciej Skorza stepped down at the end of the last campaign, but Hogmo has so far failed to replicate the success of his predecessor.
Under Skorza in 2023, Kyoto achieved their best J1 League finish since 2016 with a fourth-place spot, narrowly missing AFC Cup qualification by a single point, but under Hogmo's management this season, they currently reside in ninth place and are already nine points behind third.
After going winless in six games, Urawa rebounded with successive victories against Nagoya Grampus and Jubilo Iwata, but they suffered another setback in their last outing with a disappointing 3-2 loss to relegation-threatened Shonan Bellmare.
Team News
Cho could opt to name a largely unchanged side from the team that has earned back-to-back victories in the league heading into this one, although he is unlikely to be able to call upon the services of Shinnosuke Fakuda, who was taken off with an injury in the win against Avispa Fukuoka.
Marco Tulio was also taken off with an injury in that game, but the forward came off the bench at half-time in the comeback victory in the Emperor Cup last time out and is expected to start here.
The visitors will be without Hirokazu Ishihara after the defender picked up his fourth yellow card of the season, meaning he is suspended for this one.
Top scorer Thiago Santana added another two goals to his tally in the eventual loss last weekend, and the Brazilian is expected to come into the starting lineup in place of Bryan Linssen.
Kyoto Sanga possible starting lineup:
Gu; Miyamoto, Matsuda, Suzuki, Misao; Kawasaki, Fukuoka, Hirato; Tulio, Hara, Ichimi
Urawa Red Diamonds possible starting lineup:
Nishikawa; Sakai, Sato, Hoibraten, Ohata; Ito, Yasui; Takeda, Watanabe, Maeda; Santana
We say: Kyoto Sanga 2-1 Urawa Red Diamonds
The hosts will be coming into this game with plenty of confidence after a series of brilliant results in recent weeks, while the visitors have struggled in past matches with just two wins in their last nine.
While Kyoto Sanga have been poor when playing at home, we expect them to continue their fantastic form with another vital victory in their survival efforts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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