Machida Zelvia vs Yokohama F. Marinos

Yokohama F. Marinos’ quest to secure J1 League survival continues at the Machida GION Stadium against last season’s surprise package Machida Zelvia. 

After surprisingly finishing third in their debut J1 League campaign last term, Machida may find replicating that feat harder than expected as they commence this round stranded in mid-table, seven points shy of third-placed Hiroshima. Any hope of recovering some ground on the final continental qualification spot hinges on an immediate recovery after only claiming one win in their last five league games (D2, L2). Machida GION Stadium may not necessarily be the best place to embark on a recovery mission, even though they trounced second-placed Kashiwa Reysol 3-0 in their last home outing. Indeed, that victory only served to end Machida’s three-game losing home league streak, during which they only scored one goal while conceding five in return. 

On the other hand, Yokohama should take this trip on cloud nine after three unanswered goals inside the opening half an hour saw them dispatch leaders Kashima Antlers 3-1 last time out. Manager Patrick Kisnorbo can only hope it was a sign of resurgence after overseeing seven successive league defeats beforehand. Indeed, the visitors remain stuck at the foot of the table, with that rampant performance against Kashima marking only their second win in 17 J1 League fixtures this season (D5, L10). Therefore, an eight-point deficit to 17th-placed FC Tokyo comes as no surprise. A third triumph would hand Yokohama’s survival hopes a huge boost, yet they’ve lost six of their seven away league games this season (D1).