The top of the J-League table just got a lot more interesting after the 13th section. That’s because leaders FC Tokyo finally tasted their first defeat of the season at the hands of Cerezo Osaka.
Tokyo’s loss then opened the door for second-placed Kawasaki Frontale to cut the deficit at the top to four points after they beat Oita Trinita.
This weekend, it’ll now be FC Tokyo and Oita Trinita’s turn to square off as they look to recover from their respective defeats.
And in other top matches, Sanfrecce Hiroshima — who are fresh off a 4-0 hammering of Yokohama F. Marinos — take on a slumping Hokkaido Cosadole Sapporo side.
Meanwhile, Vissel Kobe — who finally snapped a horrendous losing skid — will be eager to continue moving up the table when they face struggling Jubilo Iwata.
FC Tokyo vs Oita Trinita
The number 13 truly was unlucky for FC Tokyo as they suffered their first loss of the season against Cerezo Osaka. The leaders simply couldn’t hold off their hosts, who had a long stretch of prolonged pressure leading up to the late winning goal.
The goal was the first FC Tokyo had conceded since April 14, which was eight matches ago. They have given up a mere five goals all season, still the best defensive record in the league by a comfortable margin.
The team from the capital will now look to bounce back against fourth-placed Oita Trinita, who have had a few hiccups in recent weeks. They lost 1-0 at home to second-placed Kawasaki Frontale, who reduced Tokyo’s lead atop the table to just four points.
Oita’s recent J-League 2019 results have taken a bit of a dip. They have not won in their last three matches, which includes a 2-0 defeat to Cerezo in the cup. But their defence remains formidable, with their eight goals conceded second only to Tokyo.
SBOBET odds have FC Tokyo priced at 1.79 to pick up the home victory. But with the quality of defences in action, don’t be the least bit surprised if this ends up being a low-scoring match that’s decided by a single goal — if one is even scored.
Jubilo Iwata vs Vissel Kobe
At long last, Vissel Kobe finally got a much-needed victory as they thumped Shonan 4-1 at home. Prior to that win, Vissel had lost their last nine matches in a row, with six of those defeats coming in the league.
Despite the continued absence of star midfielder Andres Iniesta — who hasn’t featured in the team’s last three games — Kobe had few problems. Veteran striker David Villa got on the scoresheet, while Wellington bagged a brace. The in-form Brazilian has now netted four times in his last three matches.
Vissel will certainly be eager to build on that promising result. And they have the perfect opportunity to do just that as they face struggling Jubilo Iwata.
Jubilo had seemingly recovered from their own recent slump as they won two of their last three league matches. However, they were once again pegged back by an absolutely crushing 4-0 away defeat to Yokohama F. Marinos last weekend.
While Jubilo’s defence was demolished in that game, their bigger problem this season has been finding the back of the net; they’ve scored just 10 goals in 13 games, the third-lowest total in the league.
However, they face a Vissel defence that’s shipped the second-most goals (23), which is why Jubilo’s J-League 2019 odds of coming away with a victory against Vissel are quite favourable.
Consadole Sapporo vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Consadole Sapporo’s slump continued last weekend as they could only get a scoreless draw with third-from-bottom Gamba Osaka. Sapporo have now failed to win their last three league matches (two draws and a defeat) and have not won in their last five when you include their two Levain Cup matches.
Sapporo have simply struggled to score goals during their recent dip in form. They’ve managed just two in their last five in all competitions, both coming in their 2-2 draw against Shonan in the cup.
Unsurprisingly, their inability to score has coincided with Anderson Lopes’ absence. The Brazilian striker, who is tied atop the goalscoring charts with seven goals thus far, hasn’t featured since their 2-1 win over Jubilo Iwata back at the end of April.
Sapporo’s struggling attack could once again find it tough against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who have conceded just nine goals through their first 13 league matches.
Sanfrecce kept a clean sheet away from home last time out in their win against Urawa Red Diamonds, which snapped their five-match losing skid. But the big surprise was that they bagged four goals after scoring just 12 in their first 12 games. It was Urawa’s heaviest defeat of the season and cost manager Oswaldo Oliveira his job.
With Sapporo also struggling to kept it tight at the back — they’ve already shipped 17 goals this season — this match will be a great opportunity for Sanfrecce to get a winning streak started.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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