Kashiwa Reysol vs Shonan Bellmare

Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium is the venue as Kashiwa Reysol and Shonan Bellmare go head-to-head in a J1 League relegation six-pointer.

It’s been a disastrous season for former J1 League champions Kashiwa Reysol thus far, as they start this round only one point clear of rock-bottom Shonan after managing a catastrophic win ratio of 10.5% across the opening 19 league rounds (W2, D7, L10). Since a 2-1 triumph at non-other than Shonan at the beginning of May, the hosts have gone winless in their last eight top-flight outings (D3, L5), failing to find the net in the most recent two (D1, L1). Shonan’s visit should flip the script, given that ‘Sun King’ have netted in six consecutive home H2Hs in all competitions. But they were on the receiving end of a 2-1 scoreline in this corresponding fixture last season.

Considering Shonan Bellmare’s abysmal run of six successive away defeats in all competitions by a combined score of 15-4, a repeat of last season’s success looks far-fetched. Indeed, the visitors come into proceedings on the back of back-to-back away league losses by an identical 4-1 scoreline, conceding 2+ second-half goals on both occasions. Shonan’s significant defensive woes have seen them capitulate 20 times on the road this season, with only Gamba Osaka (22) letting in more away goals than them. However, they could still be an attacking nuisance, especially after the break, as ten of their 13 away league goals so far have come in the second half of play.