Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Albirex Niigatavs.Sagan Tosu

sportsmole.co.uk, 4 July 2024, 09:30
Albirex Niigata and Sagan Tosu will be looking to move away from the J1 League relegation zone when they square off on Saturday.

These two teams sit in 14th and 17th position in the standings, separated by just the five points.

Match preview

There had been a time when Albirex Niigata looked likely to be involved in a scrap to avoid relegation, a consequence of seven defeats coming during an 11-match period.

However, Rikizo Matsuhashi deserves huge credit for being able to instigate a turnaround at the Denka Big Swan Stadium, moving his side away from the bottom three.

A total of nine points have been accumulated from their most recent five encounters, one of the their two wins coming away at leaders Machida Zelvia.

While Matsuhashi may have hoped for better than three successive draws and a narrow 1-0 victory at bottom-of-the-table Consadole Sapparo which have followed, keeping their points tally ticking over has been the most important thing.

That clean sheet at the latter also ended a run of 11 games without a shutout, and the foundations have been laid to try to ensure that they can focus their attention on finishing in mid-table, rather than having concerns over a battle to retain their top-flight status.

Sagan Tosu are far more concentrated on the latter having lost five of their last seven outings in the Japanese top flight.

Over an extended period, collecting 16 points from 13 games is not necessarily a bad return for a team that has spent the campaign in the bottom half, yet Kenta Kawai will know that he needs extra from his Sagan side.

In their defence, though, their last two successes - including in their most recent contest - have come with clean sheets, with 12th-placed Yokohama F. Marinos being defeated on July 3.

Seven points have been accumulated from a possible 18 on their travels since the end of April, indicating that they are capable of overcoming their most consistent hosts on Saturday.

Albirex Niigata J1 League form:

L

W

D

D

D

W

Sagan Tosu J1 League form:

L

L

W

L

L

W

Team News

Yuto Horigome should retain his spot in the Albirex Niigata side having come through another 65 minutes on his comeback to the squad last time out.

Jin Okumura may also be replaced by Yuji Ono in attack, but Matsuhashi is not expected to overly tinker with his starting lineup.

After Taisei Inoue was withdrawn during the first half against Yokohama F. Marinos, Katsunori Ueebisu could be restored at left-back.

Depending on the recovery from the three-day turnaround, Kawai may be prepared to select the remainder of the side that prevailed on Wednesday.

Albirex Niigata possible starting lineup:

Abe; Fujiwara, Fitzgerald, Inamura, Horigome; Matsuda, Shimada, Akiyama, Komi; Okumura, Taniguchi

Sagan Tosu possible starting lineup:

Park; Harada, Yamazaki, Kimura, Ueebisu; Kawahara, Kikuchi; Togashi, Hino, Yokoyama; Ryan

We say: Albirex Niigata 1-1 Sagan Tosu

Given the desire to move away from the bottom three, both teams will be eager to collect maximum points. However, there is also value in simply avoiding defeat, and a low-scoring draw playing out would not surprise us.

Previews by email

Top News

22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two places separate Willem II and NAC Breda in the Eredivisie table heading into Sunday's gameweek 13 meeting at Koning Willem II Stadion. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League football returns this weekend, with the final international break of 2024 now being completed. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish has revealed whether or not he would ever appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has insisted he will remain Manchester City manager even if the club are relegated over alleged breaches of financial rules. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming for a victory to start Patrick Vieira's tenure positively, Genoa seek maximum against a Cagliari side one place ahead of them in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday's gameweek 13 match at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim takes charge of his inaugural Manchester United match on Sunday afternoon, when his Red Devils side face Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is guaranteed to set a new club record in Saturday's Premier League home meeting with Nottingham Forest. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton boss Russell Martin has confirmed that both Aaron Ramsdale and Jan Bednarek will be sidelined for "a number of weeks". 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alistair Johnston has claimed that he is "exactly where I want to be" as he enters the prime years of his career after signing a contract extension at Celtic until the summer of 2029. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ajax will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Eredivisie this weekend when they face off against PEC Zwolle at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Sunday afternoon. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League champions Manchester City will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to strengthen their case for a top-six finish, Swansea City will welcome Premier League-chasing Leeds United to Swansea. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea's hopes of claiming all three points against Leicester City may be tempered by the recent record following international windows. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Lionel Messi continues to break records while in the twilight of his career - but one stat has proved impossible for even him to top. 22 November 2024 talksport.com No list of all-time Premier League goals can be complete without Tony Yeboah's memorable screamer against Liverpool in August 1995. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town midfielder Kalvin Phillips is eligible to return from suspension for the Tractor Boys' Premier League showdown with Manchester United at Portman Road on Sunday. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Comments from Rodri about Vinicius Jr during an interview sparked a feisty response from Neymar on Instagram. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim could be working around a defensive selection crisis for his first Premier League match in charge against Ipswich Town on Sunday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City midfielder Rodri has seemingly opened the door to a future move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Premier League clubs are not renowned for their patience when firing managers, and we've already had our first sacking of 2024/25. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Returning to the Roma hotseat for a third spell in charge, Claudio Ranieri will lead the Giallorossi into Sunday's Serie A showdown with Napoli. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has conceded that Ben White is likely to be out for months rather than weeks after undergoing an operation on his knee. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal expert Charles Watts believes that Gunners new boy Mikel Merino has been "unfairly judged" on some of his performances so far in the 2024-25 campaign. 22 November 2024 talksport.com What would you do if you first big break in football came with your fierce rivals? 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One of the most unlikely matchups we could have anticipated heading into the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs will transpire on Sunday as Orlando City face Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semi-finals at Inter & Co Stadium. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano is set to be the new head coach of Inter Miami, according to reports. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both aiming to kick-start their Premier League campaigns after stalling before the international break, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace convene at Villa Park on Saturday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sean Dyche will look to extend his 100% record over Thomas Frank as Everton manager, when Brentford visit Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fourth meets fifth in Saturday's fascinating Premier League battle at the Emirates, as Arsenal welcome Nottingham Forest to the English capital. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking a fifth win from six Premier League home games against Brighton & Hove Albion, Bournemouth host the Seagulls in Saturday's top-flight affair at the Vitality Stadium.