Cerezo Osaka host the fourth-placed Kashiwa Reysols at Kincho Stadium in J1 League action on Tuesday.
The visiting side have avoided a loss in their last three games but that was not enough to retain third place in the league standings. The Kashima Antlers secured four wins in a row to displace them in third place.
The hosts are in fifth place, trailing Kashiwa by four points. They have also gone undefeated in their last three games, winning two of them.
In their first league game after the international break, the hosts stunned the league leaders and reigning champions Kawasaki Frontale by securing a 4-1 away win. The visitors overcame 15th-placed Jubilo Iwata with a 2-0 win.
Cerezo Osaka vs Kashiwa Reysols Head-to-Head
This will be the 98th meeting across all competitions between the two sides. They have been evenly matched in the 97 fixtures so far, with 39 wins each and 19 games ending in draws.
They last met squared off at the Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium in November last season. The then-hosts secured a 1-0 win thanks to Takuma Ominami's late winner.
Cerezo Osaka form guide (all competitions): W-W-D-W-L
Kashiwa Reysols form guide (all competitions): W-D-D-W-W
Cerezo Osaka vs Kashiwa Reysols Team News
Cerezo Osaka
Hiroshi Kiyotake has not featured for the club since their 3-1 win at Shimizu S-Pulse last month. He has picked up a hamstring injury and is expected to miss out on this game.
Hinata Kida's involvement in the game remains doubtful as he has not featured for the club this season. Tatsuya Yamashita is yet to make his debut for the club and is unlikely to start here.
Injuries: Tatsuya Yamashita, Hiroshi Kiyotake
Doubtful: Hinata Kida
Suspension: None
Kashiwa Reysols
Yuki Muto and Emerson Santos are the two absentees for Aurinegro.
Injuries: Yuki Muto, Emerson Santos
Suspension: None
Cerezo Osaka vs Kashiwa Reysols Predicted XI
Cerezo Osaka Predicted XI (4-4-2): Jin-Hyeon Kim (GK); Matej Jonjić, Ryuya Nishio, Ryosuke Yamanaka, Riku Matsuda; Takashi Inui, Riki Harakawa, Hiroaki Okuno, Hikaru Nakahara; Hiroto Yamada, Bruno Mendes
Kashiwa Reysol Predicted XI (3-4-3): Kim Seung-Gyu (GK); Takuma Ominami, Yuji Takahashi, Taiyo Koga; Hiromu Mitsumaru, Dodi, Sachiro Toshima, Naoki Kawaguchi; Tomoya Koyamatsu, Hidetaka Maie, Mao Hosoya
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Cerezo Osaka vs Kashiwa Reysols Prediction
The visiting side have the second-best defensive record in the league, conceding just three goals in six games so far. The hosts have found their goalscoring form in recent fixtures, scoring 15 goals in their last four games across all competitions.
Taking the form of both sides and their head-to-head record into consideration, it is likely that the game will end in a low-scoring draw.
Prediction: Cerezo Osaka 1-1 Kashiwa Reysols.