Vissel Kobe vs Kawasaki Frontale

Vissel Kobe and Kawasaki Frontale are set to trade tackles in a battle of the two out-of-sorts J1 League giants at Noveir Stadium.

Perhaps complacency has got the better of Vissel Kobe after winning their maiden J1 League title last season. They’ve experienced a stuttering start to their trophy-defending campaign, posting a disheartening win ratio of only 53% after the opening 17 rounds (W9, D3, L5). On top of that, they’re winless in three consecutive league games in the build-up to this blockbuster (D1, L2), netting just one goal in that span. Noevir Stadium was a fortress last season, yet Takayuki Yoshida’s men have already lost four times in only eight home league outings this term (W3, D1). Low scoring has been a common theme in Kobe’s top-flight home fixtures, three of their last four featuring an identical 1-0 scoreline (W2, L2).

On the other hand, Kawasaki’s perennial struggles continue to create long-serving head coach Toru Oniki all sorts of headaches as his men commence this matchday in the lower reaches, only six points clear of the bottom three. On a rare positive note, two unanswered first-half goals propelled Kawasaki to a 2-1 home win against Nagoya Grampus last time out, helping them arrest an underwhelming three-game winless league run (D1, L2), contributing to a dismal win ratio of only 29% (W5, D5, L7). Dispatching non-league outfit Sony Sendai 2-0 in midweek Emperor’s Cup action was barely an achievement, though it did help the visitors extend their unbeaten run to three competitive matches (W2, D1). However, leaving the comforts of their home spells trouble for Oniki’s side as they’ve gone winless on seven consecutive J1 League travels since squeezing past Shonan Bellmare on the opening weekend (D3, L4).