Nagoya Grampus vs Cerezo Osaka

Nagoya Grampus and Cerezo Osaka are set to trade tackles in a tasty-looking top-table J1 League showdown at Toyota Stadium.

After years of struggle in mid-table, Nagoya’s bid to win only their second J1 League title looks plausible as they start this round only four points adrift of table-topping Vissel Kobe, courtesy of an eye-catching 87% unbeaten 15-game form at the beginning of the season (W8, D5, L2). Barring a 2-0 loss at Kashima Antlers in mid-May, the hosts have won three of their last four league outings by a narrow one-goal margin, suggesting a keenly-contested affair could be in store this weekend. But that’s where ‘Grampus’ usually thrive, with all three of their home league victories in 2023 yielding a single-goal margin. Those wins form part of their 100% unbeaten ratio across seven home league matches this term (W3, D4), indicating a third straight top-flight win over Cerezo could be on the cards.

However, the visitors have hit the ground running since a 1-0 home loss to Kashima in early May, putting together four competitive matches without losing (W3, D1) while notably keeping a clean sheet on each occasion. Speaking of Cerezo Osaka’s defensive resilience, they’ve conceded under 1.5 goals in their last five away league games, a run spanning back to a 2-1 defeat at Urawa Reds in early March. But after his men only netted more than once on one of their three most recent competitive travels (W2, D1), manager Akio Kogiku won’t mind a bit more composure in the final third, aware of the fact ‘Sakura’ have drawn a blank in their last two J1 League clashes against Nagoya.