Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

FC Tokyovs.Albirex Niigata

sportsmole.co.uk, 11 July 2024, 21:30
Both aiming to bounce back to winning ways in the J1 League, FC Tokyo and Albirex Niigata will square off at the Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday.

The hosts have dropped to eighth spot in Japan's top flight following back-to-back defeats, while their visitors sit 14th after seeing an unbeaten streak come to an end on Saturday.

Match preview

FC Tokyo return to the Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday with the aim of bouncing back to winning ways and breaking back into the J1 League's top six after suffering a dip in form in recent weeks.

Following a disappointing 11th-placed finish last year, the capital team enjoyed a pleasing first half to the 2024 campaign, having moved on to 33 points from 20 outings with back-to-back 1-0 victories over Shonan Bellmare and Consadole Sapporo in late June.

Peter Cklamovski's side have failed to extend that run and join the division's frontrunners since, though, now heading into the weekend on the back of consecutive top-flight defeats having firstly hosted Avispa Fukuoka at the end of last month and found themselves on the wrong end of a one-goal game as Masato Shigemi condemned them to a defeat.

A trip to Kashiwa Reysol then followed last weekend, and Cklamovski's side again left empty-handed, despite initially leading through Diego Oliveira and drawing level at two goals apiece in the 86th minute through Teppei Oka, as Sachiro Toshima restored the hosts' lead and snatched all three points deep into injury time.

Now on the back of another disappointment in midweek, having dropped out of the Emperor's Cup following a 2-1 home loss to second-tier JEF United, FC Tokyo return to J1 League action in eighth spot with confidence low, but still only trailing Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Avispa Fukuoka and Cerezo Osaka by one, two and three points respectively, they do have the chance to strengthen their standing at the top end of the division with a return to winning ways on Saturday to kick off an improved run.

Their visitors, meanwhile, will also bid to bounce back at the weekend following a pair of losses of their own across J1 League and Emperor's Cup action over the last week, after helping their own position at the other end of the table in recent weeks.

After their 10th-placed finish in 2023, Albirex Niigata set out for another solid mid-table place and top-half push this time around, but they endured a tough start, finding themselves 17th on 16 points from 16 outings after a dismal run between late April and late May, in which they managed just one victory and one draw alongside five defeats.

Rikizo Matsuhashi's side would then produce an improved run to climb further above the bottom three, though, going unbeaten in the next five outings as draws with Kashima Antlers, Kawasaki Frontale and Sanfrecce Hiroshima fell between away victories over Machida Zelvia and Consadole Saporro.

After that latest 1-0 triumph at the end of June, Albi hosted Sagan Tosu on Saturday but were unable to make it six top-flight games unbeaten, eventually falling to a 4-3 defeat at the Denka Big Swan Stadium after Michael Fitzgerald and Soya Fujiwara reduced the deficit in the second half.

Now on the back of a more concerning defeat in midweek, having been dumped out of the Emperor's Cup in a 6-1 defeat to second-tier V-Varen Nagasaki, Albirex Niigata will turn their full focus to the J1 League and bid to improve their current standing in 14th spot and extend a four-point lead over the bottom three.

FC Tokyo J1 League form:

W

D

W

W

L

L

FC Tokyo form (all competitions):

Albirex Niigata J1 League form:

W

D

D

D

W

L

Albirex Niigata form (all competitions):

Team News

FC Tokyo should field a similar starting XI to the one from their 3-2 loss away at Kashiwa Reysol in their last J1 League outing, with Diego Oliveira bound to again lead the line having moved onto six goals for the season with their opener in that contest.

Ryotaro Araki, who has also managed six goals in his 15 league appearances so far this term, will fight to come in from the outset after settling for a substitute appearance against Kashiwa Reysol.

Kei Koizumi and Takahiro Ko are mainstays in the midfield, while Yasuki Kimoto and Teppei Oka will hope to continue their partnership in the middle of the defence.

Albirex Niigata's attack will again be spearheaded by Kaito Taniguchi, who netted his ninth goal of the season in their 4-3 defeat to Sagan Tosu last weekend.

Motoki Nagakura, who has netted five goals of his own so far this term, missed that game but returned for the midweek Emperor's Cup loss, and he could be in line to return to the front line from the outset on Saturday.

Yuzuru Shimada and Hiroki Akiyama will continue their partnership at the base of the midfield, while Thomas Deng will hope to again join key man Michael Fitzgerald at the heart of the back four.

FC Tokyo possible starting lineup:

Nozawa; Shirai, Kimoto, Oka, Tokumoto; Ko, Nakagawa, Koizumi; Anzai, Oliveira, Araki

Albirex Niigata possible starting lineup:

Abe; Fujiwara, Fitzgerald, Deng, Horigome; Akiyama, Shimada; Komi, Hasegawa, Nagakura; Taniguchi

We say: FC Tokyo 1-1 Albirex Niigata

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

17 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Record Women's Champions League winners Lyon Women will travel to Germany for Tuesday's quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich Women. 17 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea's priority in the summer is said to be the purchase of a new striker, while a new winger is also expected to join the club. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich have reportedly decided bid for Manchester United winger Antony, who is currently on loan at Spanish side Real Betis. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women will travel to the Spanish capital for Tuesday's Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid Femenino at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. 16 March 2025 talksport.com "It's all for these fans. They deserve everything." 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly identified Wolfsburg defender Konstantinos Koulierakis as a replacement for Virgil van Dijk should he leave Anfield. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In a match that could have ramifications for both the National League's chase for promotion and relegation battle, Gateshead are set to host Braintree Town at Gateshead International Stadium on Tuesday. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona fought back from two goals behind to record a stunning 4-2 victory over title rivals Atletico Madrid in Sunday night's La Liga contest at Wanda Metropolitano. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Micah Richards could not resist joining in with Newcastle hero Dan Burn's Carabao Cup final celebrations. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has admitted that "it's hard to know" the extent of Ayden Heaven's injury at this stage of proceedings, with the centre-back set to be assessed by the club's medical stuff next week. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Eddie Howe has told Sports Mole that some of his "iconic" Newcastle United players will go on to establish themselves as club "legends" after steering the Magpies to EFL Cup glory in Sunday's final against Liverpool. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Leicester's defeat to Manchester United sees them set an unwanted Premier League record as their season goes from bad to worse. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho both ended long goalscoring droughts in Manchester United's 3-0 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday night. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah suffered an unwanted personal first during the Reds' 2-1 loss to Newcastle United in the final of the 2024-25 EFL Cup at Wembley. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah endured one of his most difficult afternoons in Liverpool colours during their heartbreaking Carabao Cup final defeat. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has told Sports Mole that he would rather get straight back into action next week as opposed to waiting for the international break to end following his side's gut-wrenching EFL Cup final loss to Newcastle United. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Eddie Howe's Newcastle United side wrote themselves into club history at Wembley on Sunday courtesy of a famous 2-1 triumph over Liverpool in the EFL Cup final. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United defender Ayden Heaven has suffered a potentially-serious injury during Sunday's Premier League clash with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. 16 March 2025 talksport.com A bottom-half finish in the Premier League could be rewarded with a European berth. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Bruno Guimaraes was unable to control his emotions after helping Newcastle end their 70-year trophy drought. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle have won their first major domestic trophy since 1955 courtesy of a deserved 2-1 victory over a limp and lifeless Liverpool side at Wembley. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Newcastle have ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy with a stunning Carabao Cup final victory against Liverpool. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly put a €70m (£59m) offer on the table for Barcelona attacker Raphinha. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has been passed fit for Sunday's Premier League clash against Leicester City, while Mason Mount is on the bench for the 20-time English champions at the King Power Stadium. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Mikel Arteta has walked out of another post-match interview, but this time he was only joking. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Six clubs are reportedly in the running for Lille forward Jonathan David, with the Canada international set to become a free transfer at the end of June. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Mathys Tel urged Tottenham fans to remain behind the team in a heated conversation with angry fans after yet another defeat. 16 March 2025 talksport.com Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney hailed Wycombe Wanderers as a 'beautiful organisation' following their rapid response to a fan who was taken ill. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United attacker Antony has suggested that he wants to complete a permanent move to a team in Spain this summer amid suggestions that Real Betis and Real Sociedad could go head-to-head for his signature. 16 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has said that he understands the frustrations of the club's supporters following Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Something went wrong! Don't hesitate to let us know if you need any help.