Kashiwa Reysol vs Shimizu S-Pulse

Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium is the venue as Kashiwa Reysol and Shimizu S-Pulse go head-to-head in a high-stakes J1 League showdown.

Kashiwa Reysol brought their underwhelming run of three J1 League games without winning (D2, L1) to a halt in emphatic fashion, dismantling Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 6-1 on the road last time out. Back at the Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium, they will be looking to arrest a run of four winless home league fixtures (D1, L3) that has seen them fail to score three times. However, enthusiasm among the home supporters could be at a premium as the ‘Sun King’ have won none of their last five top-flight meetings with Shimizu at home (D2, L3), drawing a blank on three occasions. All competitions included, Nelsinho Baptista’s lads have netted just once in their last five home outings, underlining their scoring woes.

Shimizu S-Pulse are not having the best of times either, as they enter this round winless in four J1 League games (D1, L3), three of which saw them fail to trouble the scoreboard. Shimizu’s lacklustre spell of form has seen them slip to the relegation play-off spot, two points adrift of safety. In fact, only rock-bottom Vissel Kobe (1) have picked up fewer wins than Shimizu (2) after the opening 15 rounds of fixtures. Curiously, though, both those victories have come on the road, where Hiroaki Hiraoka’s men have lost only two of their seven J1 League matches this term (W2, D3) but none of the last four (W1, D3). Since two of their three previous away league games have featured a goalless scoreline, this could be a cagey affair.