Albirex Niigata vs Sagan Tosu

Denka Big Swan Stadium forms the backdrop for a bottom-half J1 League meeting between Albirex Niigata and Sagan Tosu.

Following a gut-wrenching run of three consecutive league draws, Albirex Niigata picked up a precious 1-0 away win against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo last time out to move seven points clear of the bottom three. Despite sitting precariously in the lower reaches, the hosts seem to be finding their footing as they come into this round unbeaten in five league matches (W2, D3). However, they’ve been far from impressive on home turf, recording an underwhelming win ratio of only 20% across ten top-flight outings this season (W2, D4, L4). Rikizo Matsuhashi’s men may see Sagan Tosu’s visit as a presentable opportunity to add to their home tally, considering they had won four top-flight H2Hs on the trot at Denka Big Swan Stadium before a 1-1 draw in October 2023.

Meanwhile, relegation-battling Sagan Tosu claimed a stunning 1-0 win at Yokohama F. Marinos in midweek J1 League action to return to winning ways after back-to-back defeats in late June, moving two points away from the relegation zone. But as only rock-bottom Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (14) lost more league matches than Tosu (13) ahead of this round, the visitors can’t afford to get too comfortable. They’ve been particularly wasteful on the road, picking up just two wins across their ten J1 League travels this season (D1, L7), though they did come in two of their last four away games (L2). With both arriving ‘to nil,’ drawing first blood could be crucial, just as they did in February’s reverse fixture at home, only to lose 2-1.