Nagoya Grampus vs Kashiwa Reysol 01/08/20

01 August 2020

The two in-form J1 League sides will face off against each other at the Toyota Stadium this weekend as Nagoya Grampus take on Kashiwa Reysol.

The hosts have enjoyed a strong start to the season, having won four of their opening six J1 League outings (D2), including the last three. Notably, all of those previous three top-flight triumphs were accompanied by a clean sheet, which has been true in eight of Nagoya’s nine wins in competitive home H2Hs in the 21st century. The ‘clean-sheet’ theme remains significant, given that all five of Nagoya’s previous home results (wins/loss) across various competitions saw the winner on the day shut out the loser (W3, L2). Interestingly, ‘Grampus’ tend to produce engaging first-half performances, with 66.67% (ten) of their 15 league goals scored/conceded so far coming before the break.

Meanwhile, the visitors have gone from three consecutive league defeats to three straight triumphs, with five of their last matches all featuring over 1.5 second-half goals and over 3.5 in total, and seeing the winner on the day score in both halves. In fact, Kashiwa have been by far the most exciting team to watch in the early stage of the season, with their opening seven J1 League games producing an average of 4.28 goals (GF:18, GA:12). Yet, particularly vulnerable after the break, Nelsinho Baptista’s men have shipped 75% (nine) of their 12 top-flight goals conceded in the second half of play, although only three of those goals arrived away from home.