Consadole Sapporo vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima 05/08/20

05 August 2020

Consadole Sapporo and Sanfrecce Hiroshima will face off against each other at Sapporo Dome in YBC Levain Cup this midweek, as the two sides battle it out for the top place in Group C. Indeed, both teams have started the competition by winning both of their respective halves ‘to nil.’

The hosts succumbed to a 3-2 home defeat to Vissel Kobe last time out despite scoring the opening goal to bring a six-game unbeaten run to a halt (W3, D3). Quick out of the blocks, Sapporo have found the net before halftime in six of seven competitive matches since the resumption of football and were in front at the break in four such fixtures (HT: W4, D1, L1). Notably, Sapporo Dome has been a venue of entertainment over the past 11 months, as eight of the 11 competitive matches held here in that span produced over 2.5 goals, with eight seeing both teams score too.

Meanwhile, the visitors brought their four-game winless streak to an end (D1, L3) with a 2-0 away win over Yokohama last time out, which now means that just two of their eight competitive fixtures this calendar year have featured both teams scoring. The ‘clean-sheet’ theme remains quite significant in the context of Hiroshima’s results (wins/loss) on the road since the calendar flipped. Indeed, they’ve won three of five away clashes in 2020 (D1, L1), with none of those matches seeing both sides hit the net. Curiously, four of the eight goals scored/conceded across those games came in the final 20 minutes of the first half.