Sanfrecce Hiroshima

vs

Avispa Fukuoka

Preview

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

• Sanfrecce Hiroshima have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three home games in J League 2026, scoring four times.
• Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Avispa Fukuoka have both had poor starts to the new J1 season and enter Sunday’s game in the bottom half of the table, with Sanfrecce on a three-match losing streak.
• Sanfrecce have accumulated 11 points from their first eight games to sit seventh in the table, while Avispa are 10th with just five points.
• Bartosch Gaul’s side play an interesting system that sees his back three pushed wide and the wing-backs positioned high and wide.
• The midfield plays a proactive pressing style, but the wing-backs also contribute to the defensive work in a unique style that has served them well this season.

Avispa Fukuoka

• Avispa Fukuoka are yet to earn a point away from home in J League 2026, losing all three away games so far.
• They have conceded five goals in total, an average of 1.67 per game.
• Sanfrecce have accumulated 11 points from their first eight games to sit seventh in the table, while Avispa are 10th with just five points.
• This game will be a battle of patterns and space, as Shinya Tsukahara’s Avispa side have responded to his arrival as manager by becoming a very compact, defensive side with a conservative mid-block and slower tempo to their ball circulation.

Head-to-Head

Key Players

• Avispa are much improved defensively, but have struggled to score goals, with Kokoro Maeda leading the charts with one goal in three league games.
• By comparison, Sanfrecce top scorer Ryo Germain has three in seven appearances in J League 2026, and his consistency will be key if they are to get a home win.

Betting Insights

Prediction