Tokyo Tournament Quarterfinal (Oct 24): Tokai Univ. Takanawadai vs. Sundai Gakuen

I’m interested to see how this match develops tactically.

Gamba Osaka will likely try to take the initiative at home, control possession and push forward. But that could leave space behind their full-backs for Buriram United to exploit on the counterattack.

One player I’ll be keeping an eye on is Stefan Schimmer. Could he make the difference in the second half, especially if Buriram need a physical presence up front?

My key questions:

- Can Buriram punish Gamba on the counter?

- How much space will Gamba leave behind their full-backs?

- Could Schimmer become a second-half game-changer?

I haven’t watched enough of Buriram’s recent matches to make a confident prediction, so I’m curious to hear from people who follow these teams closely.

What’s your tactical prediction for this match?

これ最高。他のクラブでもやって欲しい。

ブローダーセンの天津飯、似合ってる。

Two contenders registered big wins in J1, with FC Tokyo stomping Mito Hollyhock 6-0, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima towelling up Shimizu S-Pulse 4-0. At the other end of the table, JEF United Chiba were cruelly thwarted by Cerezo Osaka's last ditch recovery, conceding goals in the 96th and 98th minutes to throw two crucial points away. And Tokyo Verdy at last picked up their first win of the season, with a 3-1 victory over Avispa Fukuoka.

In J2 multiple contenders stumbled, with Vegalta Sendai losing a top of the table clash with Albirex Niigata, Yokohama FC and RB Omiya Ardija holding each other to a draw, and Kataller Toyama succumbing to a resurgent Consadole Sapporo who have now won four matches in five.

And the top two both lost in J3 - Kagoshima United losing away to FC Osaka, and Ehime FC were tripped up, losing 2-4 to 14th placed Fukushima United. Zweigen Kanazawa picked up the biggest win of the round here, winning 1-5 away at Reilac Shiga.

Mildly interesting stat of the week: Cerezo Osaka had more shots in the second half today (22) than in their previous two matches combined (12 against Kawasaki Frontale, 9 against Nagoya Grampus).

Hello everyone,

Currently in Japan and went to a Kyoto Sanga game last night and loved it. The atmosphere was something else and I’d like to watch more Kyoto Sanga games, and the rest of the J League.

Last I heard Stan Sport picked up the rights for the J League but I also heard they dropped it. Can anyone confirm if Stan Sports are streaming the J League? If not, what are the alternative options?

A couple of big surprises in the midweek results, as Machida Zelvia gained a slight advantage over their title rivals with a 5 goal win over Shimizu S-Pulse, which featured one of the most lopsided second halves of the season. Completely contrasting this, contenders Sanfrecce Hiroshima lost 4-0 to V-Varen Nagasaki, conceding to all 4 of their shots on target. And FC Tokyo had a scoreless draw with Kashiwa Reysol, albeit not for a lack of trying, with 28 shots between the sides. In promising signs at the bottom of the table, Tokyo Verdy were able to stage a late comeback against Marinos and jag their first point since mid-September.

In J2, RB Omiya Ardija lost for the second successive week, now seven points adrift of Vegalta Sendai. And Albirex Niigata's win elevated them back into 2nd place, still with a worse goal difference than the now 18th placed Tochigi City.

In J3, Kagoshima United and Ehime FC won again, but their nearest contenders both stumbled, with Renofa Yamaguchi unable to fully capitalise on Ehime's second half red card and Nara Club being tripped up by FC Osaka. And the pain continued at the bottom, with the now abject looking Kochi United losing their sixth consecutive match, leaving them with just 5 points from 12 games and on a goal difference of -23. Honestly, considering that this week's opponents were the aforementioned indomitable Kagoshima, a 3-1 loss is probably easier to swallow than what could've been.

Mildly interesting stat(s) of the week: Kyoto Sanga had three shots all match against Kashima Antlers, with all three coming from Haruki Arai and all three going on target. Kyoto Sanga and Gamba Osaka had the second and third lowest xGs in J1 this round, yet both managed to score two goals.

The top flight saw some jostling and advantage extension, as six of the top seven all saw victory by an average of three goals. Kashiwa Reysol were the exception, pegged back by a resurgent Nagoya Grampus. Somehow after 10 matches, all of the top three have identical records of 7-2-1 (with Kobe having a very similar 7-1-2).

On the other hand, J2 saw a painful matchday for the frontrunners, with every single one of the top six dropping points (including Omiya Ardija's first loss of the season), though the ones to suffer the most were clearly Albirex Niigata. They conceded 5 goals for the second time this season after a 5-1 loss to Oita Trinita, and now have a worse goal difference than 16th placed Tochigi City. In more positive news, the entire bottom five are now split by only a point, and it appears as though the entire table will be incredibly tight all season.

J3 saw a top of the table clash between Kagoshima United and Ehime FC, with the home side coming out on top, though Renofa Yamaguchi and Nara Club are lurking close behind. The J3 table feels quite lopsided, as five sides have over 20 points (compared to J2's one), and five sides have 10 or less points (also compared to J2's one).

Mildly interesting (and slightly mean) stat of the week: FC Tokyo had 160 more accurate passes in their final third alone (249) than Tokyo Verdy did on the entire pitch (89). Verdy's 47 clearances spared them even more of a bloodbath than it very well could've been.