Sagan Tosu vs Cerezo Osaka

J1 League top-three hopefuls Cerezo Osaka head to the Ekimae Real Estate Stadium to encounter mid-table Sagan Tosu in a tasty-looking showdown.

Despite picking up an early lead, Sagan Tosu succumbed to a 2-1 home loss to Urawa Reds last time out, ending an impressive run of seven unbeaten league games on the trot (W4, D3). But a lack of consistency continues to torment manager Kenta Kawai, with Tosu’s last nine league fixtures fluctuating between different results (W4, D3, L2). Entertainment has been a common denominator over the past couple of months, as five of their six J1 League outings in the build-up to this clash have featured over 2.5 goals. Additionally, three of Tosu’s last four top-flight matches against Cerezo Osaka have seen 3+ goals and both teams scoring, suggesting another high-scoring contest could be in store. But since they won none of those meetings (D2, L2), there’s not much reason for optimism.

On the other hand, a gut-wrenching 1-0 home defeat to Avispa Fukuoka last time out curtailed Cerezo Osaka’s momentum, knocking them down from a two-game winning league streak. It was also Cerezo’s first scoring blank in the J1 League since a 1-0 loss to Kashima Antlers in early May, with ‘Sakura’ netting at least once in six straight league outings between those two heartbreaks. However, they’ve been regular on the scoresheet away from home, finding the net on six consecutive league travels since a 0-0 draw at Kawasaki Frontale in mid-March. More importantly, they tend to fly out of the traps on the road, breaking the deadlock in seven of their eight scoring away league fixtures this season.