Yokohama F. Marinos vs Suzuka Point Getters

Yokohama F. Marinos will encounter sub-par opposition Suzuka Pointe Getters to the NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium in a seemingly routine Emperor’s Cup last-64 tie.

Yokohama Marinos have enjoyed a drastic upturn in form in the build-up to this fixture, going from a brace of winless games (D1, L1) to back-to-back 2-0 wins over Kyoto Sanga and Jubilo Iwata. Those triumphs mean that five of Yokohama’s last six competitive victories have come by multi-goal margins, highlighting the potential for a ‘blowout.’ Since the calendar flipped to 2022, the ‘Marinos’ have not lost any of their eight competitive home matches (W6, D2), notably netting 2+ goals in seven of them. Delivering action from the get-go, Kevin Muscat’s men have found the net before half-time in their last three home games in J1 League, suggesting they could be flying out of the traps again.

As for Suzuka Point Getters, an overwhelming 3-0 victory over fellow lower-league rivals Cento Cuore Harima in the preliminary round of the Emperor’s Cup helped them set the most significant game in the club’s history. Currently competing in the Japan Football League, the 4th tier of Japanese football, the visitors should be no match for one of the top favourites in the J1 League title race. Adding to this sentiment, the ‘Racers’ have lost two of their last three competitive away matches (W1) in 2022, conceding over 1.5 goals in each defeat, at an average of three per match. On the bright side, they’ve got on the scoreboard on all three travels this calendar year.