J-League: Kashima Antlers Threatening to Take the Crown

J-League: Kashima Antlers Threatening to Take the Crown

The2019 J-League season is about to reach its end and we are about to determine on who will be the champions just before we flip this calendar year.

The Kashima Antlers have snuck past FC Tokyo when the latter had some trouble against some of their notable opponents. The Go Oiwa-coached squad currently leads the league with 55 points while FC Tokyo and the Yokohama F. Marinos have 53 and 52 points.

Back-to-back champions Kawasaki Frontale’s J-League 2019 odds of going for a three-peat seem to be in danger as they’re placed fourth at the table with 47 points. Sanfreece Hiroshima and Cerezo Osaka round out the top-six with 47 and 46 respectively.

The title race is back on in the J-League, and as always, SBOBET is here to provide you some talking points on the big matches ahead.

FC Tokyo vs Vissel Kobe

After holding a sizeable advantage for the majority of the tournament, FC Tokyo has slipped to second place behind Kashima Antlers as they’ve struggled for the past few weeks.

Since the month of September, FC Tokyo accumulated two losses against the Kashima Antlers and cellar dwellers Sagan Tosu and a goalless draw against another bottom feeder in Mastumoto Yamaga.

The Kenta Hasegawa-mentored squad struggled to net goals in the said time period. Save for their win against Gamba Osaka in the J-League Cup, FC Tokyo only scored once while conceding four goals in three matches.

Brazilian forward Diego Oliveira continues to provide some of the best J-League 2019 highlights as he leads the league in goals scored with 13 this season, but he currently lacks support at the frontline. Fellow forward Kensuke Nagai would have to step up his game in order to provide just that.

FC Tokyo should take advantage and pour in some goals in their next fixture against Vissel Kobe. The Ushi haven’t been able to post a clean sheet in their last six games and I expect the same outcome in their match tomorrow.

Yokohama F. Marinos vs Shonan Bellmare

The Yokohama F. Marinos have had a steady run for these past few weeks as they’ve incurred four wins and a draw in their last five matches. They’ve had resounding wins against Nagoya Grampus, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and against relegation candidate Jubilo Iwata.

Goals weren’t hard to come by for the Ange Postecoglou-managed team as they’ve compiled 13 of those in the last five matches. They have three of the league’s top five scorers in Marcos Junior, Teruhita Nakagawa, and Edigar Junio who netted 13, 11 and 11 goals respectively and for sure we can expect them to continuously bring their A-game as they’re contending for the title.

This match against the 15^th-seeded Shonan Bellmare should be an easy one for them as the Shonan-based club has had their share of struggles over the past month on and off the pitch. They lost close ones against Sagan Tosu and Oita Trinita while they drew level against the Vegalta Sendai and Urawa Reds. Their last two games against Shimizu S-Pulse and Kawasaki Frontale, meanwhile, have been horrendous to say the least.

Shonan’s nightmare doesn’t seem to stop there as team manager Cho Kwi-Jae had resigned just last week. The Japanese boss was claimed to be abusive towards his players and staff and he was slapped a five-game suspension prior to his resignation.

The Yokohama F. Marinos will have the chance to add on to Shonan Bellmare’s misery and they would need every point that they could gather to give themselves a chance to contend for a championship.

Kashima Antlers vs Matsumoto Yamaga

Another top versus bottom matchup will be featured in the 29^th section of the J-League as the Kashima Antlers will face Matsumoto Yamaga.

Matsumoto Yamaga are in danger of being relegated this term due to their lacklustre performance. They are currently at the bottom along with Jubilo Iwata with 28 points.

While they managed to hold FC Tokyo to a goalless draw previously, it would be hard to see them do it this time against a determined Kashima Antlers squad.

It took a while for the Antlers to find their stride, and they are now on top at the table after their 1-0 victory against Cerezo Osaka. Buoyed by the superb play of Serginho and Sho Ito, the Go Oiwa-managed team managed to compile 10 goals en route to 11 points in their last five matches.

It also helps they’ll face three bottom-ten teams in their next few outings after this one, and barring any slip-ups, I wouldn’t be surprised if they will bring home the crown this year after three years.

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