Oita Trinita (home)
- Oita Trinita are 13th in the J2 League on 4 points from 4 games, while Imabari FC are 20th on 0 points.
- Oita Trinita are on a two-game losing streak, so they need a quick recovery when they face Imabari FC at home on Sunday.
- Oita, who have won 1, drew 1 and lost 3 of their last 5 in all competitions, followed a 4-1 home win over Iwaki SC in their opening match with an extra-time defeat to the same side in the Emperor Cup and a 1-0 defeat to Tokushima Vortis.
- Yomoda's system will open doors in the offensive third for his side, but it will also leave them vulnerable when the counter-press is broken.
Imabari FC (away)
- Imabari's form is even worse, with one win and four defeats in their last five matches in all competitions.
- They have split their home matches, but a 4-1 home victory over Blaublitz Akita was followed by a 3-0 defeat at home to Montedio Yamagata.
Head-to-Head
The head-to-head history is limited, but Imabari grabbed a 1-1 draw at Imabari's home ground last season and this game will probably be similar unless Oita can take the lead and control the pace of it early on.
Key Players
- Abel Mourelo is a new coach for Imabari and is creating his own identity at the club, this year's 4-3-3 will be his version of the Spanish game with triangles on the ball and front-foot pressing off of it.
- Kota Mori is the creative spark in the middle of the 4-3-3 and already has one assist in four J2 League appearances.
- Edigar Junio is leading the club's scoring charts with one goal in his four J2 League games so far, so they will have a threat in the box.
- Yasufumi Nishimura is the spark that can make the difference for Oita as their best finisher.
Betting Insights
- We are going to side with Oita to win this one at a shade of odds-on, but the draw looks the better value in the double chance market and 3.02 is still very generous when you consider the odds on the home side are 2.23 and Imabari are 3.12.
- Oita are averaging 2.00 goals per home game in the J2 League so far this term and have conceded just 1.00, while Imabari have managed just 0.50 on average away from home with a total of one away goal.
- Under 2.5 goals at 1.58 looks the sharper bet in that context and it allows for a nervy game to develop if Imabari can hold Oita at bay.
Prediction
We are going to side with Oita to win this one at a shade of odds-on.