United City vs Kawasaki Frontale

Kawasaki Frontale will be looking to all but cement their place in the AFC Champions League knock-outs when they lock horns with whipping boys United City at the Lokomotiv Stadium.

A humiliating 8-0 loss to Kawasaki in the reverse fixture may have hammered the final nail in United City’s coffin as they take the field winless in their opening three Group I games (D1, L2) with almost no chance of reaching the knock-outs. Indeed, following a 1-1 home draw with Beijing Guoan on Matchday 1, the hosts have lost their subsequent two group stage matches by over 6.5 goals ‘to nil,’ conceding 4+ second-half goals on each occasion. The ‘Golden Boys’ enter this round as massive underdogs and justifiably so, having failed to win any of their last four competitive outings (D1, L3) after winning five in a row beforehand. There’s been plenty of early action in United City’s recent home matches, with each of the last four seeing the opener scored within the opening half an hour.

On the other hand, Kawasaki’s imperious form to begin their Champions League journey saw them win all three opening Group I matches by an aggregate score of 18-2. Particularly dangerous beyond half-time, the visitors have registered 66.67% of their group stage goals scored in the second half of play (12/18), scoring 2+ goals inside the opening 15 minutes of the second half in all three Group I fixtures. Toru Oniki’s men have been a force to be reckoned with away from home this calendar year, running nine road trips unbeaten since the turn of 2021 (W7, D2). What’s more, when they win, it tends to be convicing, with each of their seven away victories in 2021 yielding a winning margin of 2+ goals.