Tokyo FC vs Nagoya Grampus 15/08/20

15 August 2020

Tokyo FC will be looking to post a fifth consecutive win over Nagoya Grampus in J1 League when the two sides meet at the Ajinomoto Stadium this weekend.

The hosts take the field after failing to pick up three points in four of their last J1 League outings (D3, L1), with three of those games seeing both teams score and Tokyo concede the opening goal in the first half. At home in J1 League, they’ve lost two of three matches this term (W1), both of which saw them allow over 1.5 first-half goals and over 2.5 at FT. Yet, when they win, Kenta Hasegawa’s men usually do it with dignity, as three of their four top-flight triumphs this term yielded a two-goal margin. Against this backdrop, Tokyo have won all three of their previous J1 League H2Hs held at this venue via a single-goal margin after losing the preceding two by the identical 1-0 scoreline.

Meanwhile, the visitors have won four of their last five league fixtures (L1), with four of those results (wins/losses) seeing the winner on the day keep a blank sheet. The ‘Grampus’ go into this clash on the back of a 2-2 home draw with Kawasaki in the YBC Levain Cup, which now means they’ve scored at least two goals in three consecutive games in all competitions, netting a total of 11! Moreover, Massimo Ficcadenti’s side won the first half in all three of their previous J1 League trips and went on to seal three points in each. Curiously, just one team has shipped fewer away goals than Nagoya (2) so far, with both coming on the 18-minute mark.