The J League Cup is back in action with a set of quarter-final fixtures this week as Cerezo Osaka take on Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday. Both teams can pack a punch on their day and will be determined to win this game.
Cerezo Osaka are currently in third place in the J1 League standings and have been consistently impressive this season. The away side eased past Vissel Kobe with a 3-0 scoreline this week and will look to achieve a similar result in this fixture.
Kawasaki Frontale, on the other hand, are in fourth place in the league table at the moment and have been slightly inconsistent this year. The hosts edged Yokohama F. Marinos to a crucial 2-1 victory in their previous game and will be confident ahead of this match.
Kawasaki Frontale vs Cerezo Osaka Head-to-Head
Cerezo Osaka have a slight edge over Kawasaki Frontale and have won 14 out of the 32 matches played between the two teams. Kawasaki Frontale have managed 13 victories against Cerezo Osaka and will look to level the scales on Wednesday.
The previous meeting between the two teams took place in the first leg last week and ended in a 1-1 draw. Both teams squandered chances on the day and will need to be more clinical this week.
Kawasaki Frontale form guide: W-D-L-L-W
Cerezo Osaka form guide: W-D-W-W-W
Kawasaki Frontale vs Cerezo Osaka Team News
Kawasaki Frontale
Kyohei Noborizato and Jesiel have recovered from their injuries but might not be risked in this match. Ryoto Oshima is currently suffering from a hamstring injury and has been ruled out of this fixture.
Injured: Ryoto Oshima
Doubtful: Kyohei Noborizato, Jesiel
Suspended: None
Cerezo Osaka
Yusuke Maruhashi and Hinata Kida are recovering from surgery and have been ruled out of this fixture. Hiroshi Kiyotake has also picked up an injury and will not be able to feature in this game.
Injured: Yusuke Maruhashi, Hinata Kida, Hiroshi Kiyotake
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Kawasaki Frontale vs Cerezo Osaka Predicted XI
Kawasaki Frontale Predicted XI (4-3-3): Sung-Ryong Jung; Miki Yamane, Shogo Taniguchi, Kazuya Yamamura, Asahi Sasaki; Kento Tachibanada, Yasuto Wakizaka, Joao Schmidt; Daiya Tono, Leandro Damiao, Kei Chinen
Cerezo Osaka Predicted XI (4-4-2): Jin Hyeon Kim; Ryuya Nishio, Matej Jonjic, Koji Toriumi, Hirotaka Tameda; Riki Harakawa, Hiroshi Kiyotake, Seiya Maikuma, Hiroaki Okuno; Riki Matsuda, Bruno Pereira Mendes
Kawasaki Frontale vs Cerezo Osaka Prediction
Cerezo Osaka have won three of their last four matches in all competitions and are in excellent form at the moment. The away side have stepped up to the plate this season and will look to make the most of their emphatic cup run.
Kawasaki Frontale have blown hot and cold over the past month and have lost some of their early-season momentum. Cerezo Osaka are the better team at the moment and should be able to win this game.
Prediction: Kawasaki Frontale 1-3 Cerezo Osaka