Vissel Kobe invite reigning champions Kawasaki Frontale to the Noevir Stadium Kobe in J1 League action on Wednesday.
The hosts secured their first win of the league campaign in their previous outing as they overcame Sagan Tosu with a 4-0 win at home. While it was a great win for the hosts, they only moved one place up in the standings.
Kawasaki Frontale have done well so far in their title defense and are in second place in the table. They trail the Kashima Antlers by two points but have a game in hand and if they can secure a win here, they can move atop the league standings.
Vissel Kobe vs Kawasaki Frontale Head-to-Head
The two sides have locked horns 45 times across all competitions thus far. Kawasaki Frontale hold the advantage in this fixture, leading 22-14 in wins while nine games have ended in draws.
The hosts have been without a win in this fixture since 2019 and have suffered three losses in their last five games against Azzurro Nero. They last met at the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium in league action in September, with the game ending in a 3-1 win for the then-hosts.
Vissel Kobe form guide (all competitions): W-L-D-D-W
Kawasaki Frontale form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-W
Vissel Kobe vs Kawasaki Frontale Team News
Vissel Kobe
Sergi Samper, Noriaki Fujimoto and Daiju Sasaki remain the three absentees for the Ushi.
Injuries: Sergi Samper, Noriaki Fujimoto, Daiju Sasaki
Doubtful: None
Suspension: None
Kawasaki Frontale
Chanathip Songkrasin has not featured since coming off injured in their AFC Champions League fixture last month. Kyohei Noborizato and Jesiel continue to be long-term absentees with muscle and ligament injuries.
Ryota Oshima is also expected to miss the game as he has not featured for the club in over two months.
Injuries: Chanathip Songkrasin, Kyohei Noborizato, Jesiel
Doubtful: Ryota Oshima
Suspension: None
Vissel Kobe vs Kawasaki Frontale Predicted XIs
Vissel Kobe (4-2-3-1): Daiya Maekawa (GK); Yuki Kobayashi, Tomoaki Makino, Leo Osaki, Gotoku Sakai; Hotaru Yamaguchi, Shion Inoue; Bojan Krkić, Yuta Goke, Yuya Osako; Yoshinori Muto
Kawasaki Frontale Predicted XI (4-3-3): Sung-Ryong Jung (GK); Miki Yamane, Shogo Taniguchi, Kazuya Yamamura, Asahi Sasaki; Kento Tachibanada, Yasuto Wakizaka, João Schmidt; Daiya Tono, Leandro Damiao, Kei Chinen
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Vissel Kobe vs Kawasaki Frontale Prediction
Vissel Kobe earned a surprise win last time around, with Andres Iniesta giving them the lead in the second minute of the game. The visitors have been solid so far in league fixtures and taking their recent form into account, they should come out on top here.
Prediction: Vissel Kobe 1-2 Kawasaki Frontale