Sanfrecce Hiroshima (home)
- Sanfrecce are unbeaten in five competitive games, with four wins and a draw, following last weekend’s 3 - 1 away win over V-Varen Nagasaki in the J1 League.
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima have taken 11 points from their six ACL Elite matches so far and sit above JDT’s eight points from six in the Group A table.
- Michael Skibbe has instilled a tough to beat, very disciplined and organized approach in his side.
- His 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 system is based on a back three of defenders with two wingbacks and a rigid structure in which the players are encouraged to press together to win the ball high up the field and exploit the half-spaces between the lines.
JDT (away)
- JDT have dominated the Malaysia Super League for years, going unbeaten for long spells and racking up big wins at home and away, but their form in the ACL Elite has been mixed.
- Xisco Muñoz’s team play a very different game to Skibbe’s Sanfrecce, preferring a more direct and high-tempo brand of soccer in which the ball is moved quickly and wide.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
In Hayato Araki they have a solid centre-back who has chipped in with a few goals, while Ryo Germain and Mutsuki Kato have also scored crucial goals.
JDT
- Muñoz will look to his best two players, Jonathan Silva and Arif Aiman, to make a difference on Tuesday.
- Silva is an all-action player who can cover the field and has a strong shot on goal, while Arif Aiman’s pace and trickery on the wing make him a constant threat.
- Bérgson da Silva, a prolific scorer, will be the main target up top, but JDT’s success will also hinge on the quality of Andoni Zubiaurre in goal.
Betting Insights
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima are set to come into this high-stakes, cross-regional clash as favorites with the bookmakers with their odds of 1.71 compared to JDT’s outsider status at 4.6 and the draw at 3.5.
- Backing Over 2.5 goals at 1.93 and Both Teams To Score at 1.83 looks good in this game with both teams likely to get chances on the break and through set-piece play, while a 2 - 1 or 1 - 0Sanfrecce win is the preferred correct score bet.
Prediction
With the draw looking very possible if JDT can sit back and get chances to break, we’ll take Sanfrecce to edge it due to their domestic momentum, home-field advantage and the fact that they have built up a lead in the table.
