Albirex Niigata vs Roasso Kumamoto

Albirex Niigata and Roasso Kumamoto go head-to-head at the Denka Big Swan Stadium in an all-J2 League Emperor’s Cup last-16 tie.

Since slipping to a 2-1 defeat away to Machida in mid-May, Albirex Niigata have hit the ground running, winning their last three J2 League matches by an aggregate score of 9-0. Interestingly, all of those three victories have yielded the same 3-0 scoreline, with two witnessing Niigata net 2+ second-half goals. Moreover, since playing out a 1-1 draw with Renofa Yamaguchi in early March, Rikizo Matsuhashi’s men have won their last nine home games in the J2 League. With 66% of those triumphs coming ‘to nil,’ it’s easy to assume that Niigata will be seeking a flying start. That could prove vital as they aim to avenge a 3-2 reverse in their only previous home H2H.

On the other hand, Roasso Kumamoto have alternated between draws (2) and wins (2) across their last four J2 League fixtures since a 2-0 home defeat to Ryukyu in early May. While both draws during that four-game sequence yielded the identical 1-1 scoreline, both Kumamoto’s triumphs came ‘to one.’ With each of Kumamoto’s last four competitive matches witnessing both teams score, expecting Takeshi Oki’s side to find the net would be an educated guess. Adding to this sentiment, the visitors have bagged 2+ goals in five of their last seven away games (W5, D2). They’ve only failed to score once in their 11 fixtures on the road in 2022 thus far.