Yokohama F. Marinos will host Nagoya Grampus at the Mitsuzawa Stadium on Thursday with three points on the line in the J1 League.
The home side come into the game on the back of a 2-2 draw away to Shimizu S-Pulse on Monday. Marcos Junior and Elber scored in each half to help Marinos take a point away from home.
Nagoya Grampus suffered a shock 2-0 defeat away to bottom-placed Yokohama FC on Monday. Shinnosuke Nakatani's own goal and Yusuke Matsuo's first-half strike gave the hosts all three points.
That defeat saw Grampus drop down to sixth spot in the table on 37 points while Yokohoma F. Marinos still sit second, 11 points behind table-toppers Kawasaki Frontale.
Yokohama F. Marinos vs Nagoya Grampus Head-to-Head
The two sides have clashed on 73 previous occasions with Yokohama F. Marinos winning 30 times, slightly higher than Grampus' 25 wins. There have been 18 draws in this fixture historically.
Their most recent meeting came in October 2020 when goals from Edigar Junio and Kota Watanabe gave Yokohoma F. Marinos a 2-1 home win.
The hosts are currently on a run of six games unbeaten, with Monday's draw halting a five-game winning run. Nagoya Grampus have lost their way in recent weeks, with just two wins from their last five games.
Yokohama F. Marinos form guide: D-W-W-W-W
Nagoya Grampus form guide: L-W-L-D-W
Yokohama F. Marinos vs Nagoya Grampus Team News
Yokohama F. Marinos
The hosts have no known injuries or suspension concerns.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Nagoya Grampus
Mu Kanazaki, Yuichi Maruyama and Ryogo Yamasaki have all been sidelined by long-term injuries. There are no suspension worries for Nagoya Grampus.
Injuries: Mu Kanazaki, Yuichi Maruyama, Ryogo Yamasaki
Suspension: None
Yokohama F. Marinos vs Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI
Yokohama F. Marinos Predicted XI (4-3-3): Yohei Takaoka (GK); Theeraton Bunmathan, Yuki Saneto, Shinnosuke Hatanaka, Ryuta Koike; Takahiro Ogihara, Tomoki Iwata, Jun Amano; Teruhito Nakagawa, Elber, Leo Ceara
Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI (4-3-3): Mitchell Langerak (GK); Yutaka Yoshida, Yasuki Kimoto, Kazuya Miyahara, Shinnosuke Nakatani; Sho Inagaki, Kazuki Nagasawa, Takuji Yonemoto; Manabu Saito, Mateus, Yoichiro Kakitani
Yokohama F. Marinos vs Nagoya Grampus Prediction
The home side's consistent form installs them as favorites in this game and their chances will be bolstered by Nagoya Grampus' erratic displays in recent weeks. The visitors are capable of getting a result here but Marinos have too much quality in their arsenal.
Yokohama F. Marinos have shown defensive lapses in recent weeks and this could be capitalized on by their opponents but their superior attack should see them through.
We are predicting a comfortable victory for the hosts, with goals at both ends.
Prediction: Yokohama F. Marinos 3-1 Nagoya Grampus