Shonan Bellmare vs Cerezo Osaka 05/09/18

05 September 2018

After an impressive 3-1 win over V-Varen Nagasaki on the road last weekend, Shonan Bellmare will host Cerezo Osaka at the Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka, hoping for a positive outcome that would bring them one step closer to the YBC Levain Cup semi-finals.

Before grabbing that away victory over V-Varen, Cho Kwi-Jea’s side went through a nightmarish period, in which they lost four games while losing once in the process. Shonan’s principle problem over the last month or so, was their attacking game, considering they’ve failed to find the back of the net four times in the previous six games, and if they plan to advance to the next round, something radical should happen in the final third.

The Cherry Blossoms, on the other hand, have notably raised their game in the recent period, securing three wins in the previous five encounters, including a stunning 2-1 away win over Urawa Red Diamonds a few days ago. However, those three triumphs are their only successes in the last thirteen matches, which is pretty concerning for the team that pursuit the AFC Champions League promotion.

The last seven times these two sides played against each other, the supporters could have seen at least three goals, with Cerezo Osaka leaving the field as winners in six consecutive matches.

While the home team expected to enter the game at full strength, the visitors’ manager Yoon Jong-Hwan is faced with a few significant decisions regarding the starting line-up after Teruyuki Moniwa, Masataka Nishimoto, Kazuya Yamamura, Yoichiro Kakitani,and Dong-Hyeon Yang all picked up different injuries that will force them to remain on the sidelines.