Gamweek 25 in the J1 League season will see Sanfrecce Hiroshima making the trip to Chofu to take on Tokyo Verdy at the Ajinomoto Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
The hosts will enter this match in ninth place in the league standings with 34 points after 24 games, while the visitors are on 40 points and three places above them.
Match preview
After only just making the cut to earn promotion to the top flight last season, Tokyo Verdy can be well proud of their performance over the first half of the campaign as they are currently in the top half of the table and 10 points clear of the dotted line.
Verdy secured their eighth league win of the season in their last outing when they edged Avispa Fukuoka to a 1-0 away win thanks to Hiroto Yamami scoring the only goal of the match just before the halftime break.
The progression made under Hiroshi Jofuku has been quite remarkable for Verdy, with the 63-year-old leading them to a mid-table finish in the J2 League in 2022 before earning promotion to the top flight last term, and a win this week could see his side move as high as seventh, provided results elsewhere go in their favour.
While the hosts' tally of 16 points from 12 home games this season is average at best, they have been very difficult to beat at Ajinomoto Stadium, currently holding a record of three wins, seven draws and just two losses.
Notably, all three of those wins have come in their last six home games, while their only defeat in their last 11 at this venue was a slender 1-0 loss to league leaders Machida Zelvia in mid-July.
Meanwhile, after finishing each of the last two seasons in the top three, Sanfrecce will have to continue their recent good form if they are to challenge for a spot in the continental competitions next term.
After failing to win three in a row at the end of June and early July, Viola secured much-needed back-to-back wins over Avispa Fukuoka and Sagan Tosu in their last two matches, keeping them four points off third-placed Kashima Antlers but nine behind Machida.
Michael Skibbe's men smashed in four goals past Sagan for the second time this season last time out, with Yuki Ohashi finding the net for a second match in succession, taking his tally to 10 for the season, just three shy of Yokohama's Anderson Lopes, who leads the league.
That result also marked the team's third consecutive away match without defeat, while their 19 points in 12 away matches (W4 D7 L1) is the third-best return in the top flight behind Machida and Vissel Kobe.
These two sides have already crossed paths twice this season in league and cup competitions, and Sanfrecce won on both occasions, including a commanding 4-1 victory at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima on June 15.
Team News
Tokyo Verde will remain without the services of Fuki Yamada, who is yet to return from the Paris Olympics after Japan were eliminated from the competition 3-0 by Spain in the quarter-final over the weekend.
Itsuki Someno and Yudai Kimura are the joint-top scorers for Verdy this season with six goals each and they are likely to make up the three-man attacking line alongside Hiroto Yamami.
Sanfrecce have only one confirmed absentee for this match in the form of centre-back Taichi Yamasaki, who is still on the road to recovery from surgery on his knee.
Cypriot Pieros Sotiriou was omitted from the matchday squad for the trip to the Ekimae Real Estate Stadium last week, and he should return to lead the line for the visitors, likely in place of Douglas Vieira.
Tokyo Verdy possible starting lineup:
Vidotto; Tsunashima, Hayashi, Taniguchi; Miyahara, Onaga, Saito, Miki; Someno, Yamami, Kimura
Sanfrecce Hiroshima possible starting lineup:
Osako; Nakano, Araki, Iyoha; Arai, Higashi, Shiotani, Matsumoto, Ohashi, Junior; Sotiriou
We say: Tokyo Verdy 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
While Tokyo Verdy have had a solid season upon their return to the top flight, they have struggled against the bigger teams in the league and have already lost twice to their upcoming opponents this term.
Sanfrecce have only lost one match on the road all season and they will know that they need to keep winning games to remain within touching distance of the top three. We feel the visitors will manage to secure the points in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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