FC Tokyo
- FC Tokyo will need to continue their steady, well-constructed play if they are to defeat a rampant Cerezo Osaka side in their playoff game at the Japan National Stadium on Saturday.
- Rikizo Matsuhashi’s men play a patient, possession-based game where the defenders, particularly the right-side, are the driving force behind the build up.
- Tokyo have a consistent record in the J1 100 Year Vision League (W10, D7, L1) as Matsuhashi’s side have been hard to beat in the regional section.
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Recent games:
- A 2-2 away draw with Osaka.
- a 0-1 loss.
- a clean-sheet result.
- a 2-1 win.
- a 0-3 defeat.
Cerezo Osaka
- Cerezo Osaka are the team in the better form of the two going into this game, drawing 2 - 2 with Tokyo last weekend, winning 3 - 2, a dominant 6 - 1 victory over Nagoya, another 3 - 2 win and a 1 - 1 draw.
- Arthur Papas’ team play a high-tempo possession game, where they press aggressively and look to force turnovers high up the pitch.
Recent meetings
- FC Tokyo have drawn three and won two of their last five meetings with Cerezo Osaka in all competitions.
- Both teams played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg of this playoff, with Cerezo Osaka twice coming from behind to equalize.
FC Tokyo
- Sei Muroya offers the defensive cover and ability to overlap and support the attack from right-back, which makes him a key player in this system, but the most exciting playmaker is Ryunosuke Sato, who will be a handful for Cerezo Osaka on Saturday.
- In the attack, Marcelo Ryan is the most dangerous Tokyo player and has the ability to score goals and cause havoc in the box from both open play and set-pieces.
Cerezo Osaka
- Cerezo are led by Arthur Papas, with Shinji Kagawa a tactical game-changer who can impact games off the bench.
- Motohiko Nakajima is another quality player and a huge threat from set-pieces.
- Masaya Shibayama is a tricky wide attacker who likes to come inside and create chances for others as well as himself.
Betting Insights
- The game odds of 1.85 for FC Tokyo are a little rich for my blood, given the 3.88 available on Cerezo Osaka and 3.7 on a draw.
- Both teams to score looks an obvious bet at 1.7.
- A 2-2 result is a top-value wager on the correct score market.
Prediction
I am taking the home side to edge out this encounter as they usually do, but a close result is highly likely given the 2-2 draw in the previous matchup and the fact that the two sides are evenly matched.
