Vissel Kobe
- Vissel Kobe are unbeaten at home in the J League 2026/2027, winning two and drawing one of their three games at the Noevir Stadium Kobe, averaging 2.00 goals per game on home soil.
- The home side sit second in the J League 2026/2027 with 13 points from six games, one ahead of third-placed Kashima on 12.
- Ushi have got into a proper groove of late and their most recent results look very good - 1-0 at Cerezo Osaka, 2-0 away at Tokyo Verdy 1969 and 3-1 at V-Varen Nagasaki.
Kashima Antlers
- Vissel Kobe are in red-hot form with four straight wins in all competitions, but the away side have slipped up in their last two - a 4-2 defeat away to Mito HollyHock and 0-1 loss at home to Urawa Red Diamonds, so something's not right there.
- Michael Skibbe has them playing compact, possession-based soccer with a high press and when the trigger is on, they come at you very fast with some brilliant vertical runs.
- It's a classic control-versus-press kind of game and whoever wins the middle third should have the upper hand in this clash.
Recent meetings
The Antlers have taken two wins and one draw from their last three head-to-head matches, beating Kobe 2-0 at home three months ago in the J League 2026, but the Ushi have not lost at the Noevir in the Antlers' last two visits.
Players to watch
- Katsuya Nagato is the top scorer in the team with two goals in six games, but the Vissel midfielder is a solid operator and provides a steady back-line threat that is proving hard to mark.
- They don't have a star player in the mould of Leo, who has eight goals in his first six appearances for the visitors, but Yuta Goke has been a spark for them with three in the last five as Vissel have struck eight.
- Leo is the main man with six of the last nine goals the away team have scored and they will need him to step up and make a difference if they are to get all three points.
Odds & tips
- The odds slightly favour Kashima Antlers at 2.65 with Vissel Kobe at 2.7 and the draw at 3.1.
- This could well go the way of the home team and they will be very happy with the draw, so the bet that fits this gameup the best is under 2.5 goals at 1.67 with both teams to score also very tight at 1.83 either way.
Short take
It's a classic control-versus-press kind of game and whoever wins the middle third should have the upper hand in this clash.