Yokohama F. Marinos vs Sagan Tosu

The stakes are high for underperforming J1 League giants Yokohama F. Marinos as they meet Sagan Tosu at the Nissan Stadium in midweek league action.

Under-pressure manager Harry Kewell starts to feel the heat after back-to-back 2-1 defeats to Verdy and Avispa Fukuoka demoted his beleaguered Yokohama side to 12th in the J1 League standings. The home team’s dismal 35% win ratio across their opening 20 matches (W7, D5, L8) has significantly derailed their chances of securing a top-three finish, with third-placed Gamba Osaka already a whopping 12 points away. Worryingly for Kewell, his men have blown hot and cold across their nine home league outings this season (W3, D3, L3). They’ve at least kept their fans entertained, with their last three top-flight games at the Nissan Stadium featuring over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet.

On the other hand, two consecutive losses to Cerezo Osaka and Kashiwa Reysol plunged Sagan Tosu back into the bottom three, pouring more pressure on head coach Kenta Kawai amid a dreadful run of five defeats across their last six league contests (W1). Despite their rough patch, the visitors languish only one point adrift of safety. With a game in hand on 17th-placed Kyoto, they would claw their way out of the drop zone with a win against Yokohama. However, the Nissan Stadium hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Sagan Tosu by any stretch of the imagination, as they’ve failed to win on their last six competitive visits (D4, L2) since a 2-1 victory in 2018.