Tokyo vs Yokohama F. Marinos

Ajinomoto Stadium is the venue as mid-table Tokyo and reigning J1 League holders Yokohama F. Marinos lock horns in a handsomely-looking showdown.

Stuck in mid-table lethargy on the back of a sub-par 33% win ratio across the opening 15 J1 League rounds (W5, D4, L6), Tokyo head into proceedings winless in four of their last five league outings (D1, L3), except for a 2-1 home triumph over Kawasaki Frontale in early May. That victory forms part of Tokyo’s four-game undefeated home streak in all competitions (W2, D2), highlighting the home side’s confidence about arresting an abysmal run of three straight top-flight H2Hs at Ajinomoto Stadium (D1, L2). Keeping Yokohama at bay seems wishful thinking, though, with ‘Gas’ conceding 2+ goals in each of their last five home league encounters against them! Adding to this sentiment, they’ve only managed one clean sheet in six league fixtures as hosts this term.

In the meantime, Yokohama’s patchy form in the run-up to this travel has seen their last five competitive matches fluctuate between victories (3) and defeats (2), with three of those results (wins/losses) yielding multi-goal margins. Despite their recent consistency issues, the visitors have excelled on hostile turf, clocking up three triumphs on their last four J1 League trips (L1), impressively averaging 2.66 goals per win. Having registered just one shutout across eight top-flight travels in 2023, Kevin Muscat’s men will probably have to be at the top of their attacking game to topple Tokyo. That’s unlikely to pose a problem, as they drew a blank only once in those eight away matches, bagging a league-high 13 goals.