Cerezo Osaka vs Port

Chang Arena is the venue as Cerezo Osaka and Port go head-to-head in the third round of the AFC Champions League group stage fixtures.

Cerezo Osaka masterminded a stunning second-half comeback to beat Kitchee 2-1 on Matchday 2 to retain the top spot in Group J following a 2-0 away win over Guangzhou in their tournament opener. Those two victories are part of Cerezo’s three-game winning streak in all competitions, a sequence that follows a run of six consecutive competitive matches without success (D3, L3). An indifferent form across their last seven home fixtures could be a reason for concern, though, with Osaka picking up just three wins in that spread of games (D2, L2). Getting on the scoresheet should not be a problem, considering Levir Culpi’s men have found the net in each of their 11 home outings since the start of the calendar year.

Meanwhile, Port bounced back from a 2-0 away defeat to Kitchee in their group stage opener, cruising past Guangzhou 3-0 last time out. Before demolition of the Chinese side, Port had alternated between a draw (2) and a loss (2) across their previous four matches in all competitions, drawing a blank on three of those occasions. Away from home, though, the visitors have endured a dip in form, going from back-to-back victories to three straight games without winning (D2, L1), conceding precisely twice in their last two road trips. Low scoring has been a common theme in Port’s recent away fixtures, with three of their previous four travels seeing one or both teams fail to score in matches garnering under 2.5 total goals.