Nagoya Grampus vs Kawasaki Frontale 12/08/20

12 August 2020

The YBC Levain Cup Matchday 3 sets up the top of Group A showdown between Nagoya Grampus and Kawasaki Frontale at the Toyota Stadium.

The hosts enjoyed a stellar start to their cup campaign, winning both of their opening Group A matches ‘to nil.’ Curiously, two of the four goals the ‘Grampus’ scored across those triumphs arrived in the final five minutes of the first half. The ‘clean-sheet’ theme remains significant in the context of Nagoya’s recent competitive form. Indeed, none of their last six outings has ended in a draw (W5, L1), with five of those results (wins/losses) seeing the winner on the day keep a blank sheet. In turn, four of their previous five competitive H2Hs held at this venue have produced a winner ‘to nil’ (W1, D1, L3).

Meanwhile, Kawasaki’s relentless start to their cup campaign has seen them win both of their opening Group A fixtures and score over 2.5 goals in each. The visitors are in the midst of a purple patch, having won nine of ten competitive games since the calendar flipped (D1), including the last eight. Impressively, eight of those triumphs have seen ‘Frontale’ net over 1.5 goals, with six yielding a full-time margin of at least two goals. Furthermore, Toru Oniki’s men have racked up an eight-game winning streak away from home, bagging two goals or more seven times during that run.