Kawasaki Frontale vs Cerezo Osaka 19/08/20

19 August 2020

Relentless Kawasaki Frontale welcome Cerezo Osaka to the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium for a top-of-the-table J1 League clash.

The hosts have been virtually unstoppable this season, putting together nine consecutive league triumphs following a goalless home draw with Shimizu on the opening matchday. Notably, all but one of those victories have seen Toru Oniki’s side get on the scoresheet at least twice, with six yielding a full-time margin of over 1.5 goals. Free-scoring Kawasaki boast the division-high 29 goals scored after ten rounds of fixtures, with the majority (58.62%) of them arriving in the second half of play (17). Despite picking up just two wins in their last seven competitive home H2Hs (W2, L3), Kawasaki must be confident of getting on the scoresheet here, as they’ve found the net in each of those seven clashes and scored over 1.5 goals in five.

On the other hand, the visitors take the field after racking up a six-game unbeaten J1 League run (W3, D3), as they trail their hosts by seven points ahead of the kick-off. Low scoring has been a theme for Cerezo this season, as only three of their ten league fixtures have produced over 2.5 goals. Yet, unbeaten in all five J1 League trips this term (W4, D1), Miguel Ángel Lotina’s men have won three of their five top-flight away games despite a -1 handicap. If the concede here, as they did in four league trips so far, ‘Sakura’ are likely to do it after the break – all four of their J1 League away goals allowed arrived in the second half of play.