Yokohama F. Marinos vs Machida Zelvia

Yokohama F. Marinos’ effort to climb the J1 League standings faces a formidable challenge as table-topping Machida Zelvia touch down at the Nissan Stadium.

Yokohama squeaked past second-tier Gifu on penalties in midweek Emperor’s Cup action following a dramatic 2-2 draw in regulation, bouncing back from last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Kashima Antlers. That was their third loss in five J1 League matches (W1, D1), with the pressure starting to build on manager Harry Kewell. Stranded in the lower reaches, the Marinos languish 11 points below third-placed Gamba Osaka. But with two games in hand, they’re still in the race for a continental finish, although they must launch a substantial winning streak to close the gap. Yokohama’s showings in the early season can’t inspire much confidence, with their balance sheet reading indifferently after 15 games (W5, D5, L5). If it’s any consolation, they’ve only lost one of their six home league outings (W2, D3).

On the other hand, Machida’s dream start to their maiden J1 League campaign suffered a blow last time out as a 3-1 defeat at Albirex Niigata knocked them down from a three-game winning streak, marking their fourth loss in 17 rounds (W11, D2). They failed to recover from that result, slumping to an underwhelming penalty shootout loss to lower-division side Tsukuba University in the Emperor’s Cup round of 64 in midweek. Desperate to return to winning ways after a series of disappointing results, the visitors head to Yokohama amidst a decent-looking three-game unbeaten away league run (W2, D1). Machida’s defensive resilience has been outstanding, with Go Kuroda’s side conceding an average of only 0.62 goals per J1 League road trip this season.