Kashima Antlers and Jubilee Iwata meet at Kashima Soccer Stadium, in a match for the 18th round of the J1 League. In the last direct match for this edition of the league, on 03-30-2019, the two teams tied (1-1). In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations indicates total balance between these two teams, since there were 2 draws and 1 win for each team in the last 4 matches. In fact, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 08-24-2018, for the J1 League, which ended in a draw by (1-1). The goals of the match were scored by T. Inukai (71 ‘), for Kashima Antlers, and Y. Ōkubo (90’), for the Iwata Jubilee. In this match the home factor may be decisive, since both teams present considerable differences in the results obtained at home and as a visitor.
Kashima Antlers:
The home team is currently in the 5 th position of the league, with 28 points won, after 8 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses. In the penultimate match, they won in a home match against Cerezo Osaka, by (2-0). In the last match, they tied in a home match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, by (2-2). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 4 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses in away matches; against 12 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses at their stadium. In the last match they played, for the Emperador Cup, they beat Hokuriku at home (3-1). In the last 8 home league matches Kashima Antlers has a record of 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, so they have won 19 points out of 24 possible.
For this competition, they have not lost any of the last 7 home matches. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (4 out of 8 matches). Their attack has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 16 matches in this competition, they only won 1 comeback in the 7 matches they suffered the first goal.
Kashima are in this game motivated after beating Hokuriku 3-1 in the Emperor Cup game: Serginho, Kanamori and Yamaguchi scored in the first half. In the last match for the Japanese championship, the locals tied for 2-2 with the Sanfrecce. On this day, against the last of the table, coach Go Oiwa should keep the team in a 4-4-2, with Sho Ito and Serginho being the most advanced men in the local team: the first is one of the best strikers Kashima, with 4 goals scored. Unavailable due to injury will be Suzuki, Uchida, Ito and Jung.
Iwata:
The away team is currently in the 18 th position of the league, with 14 points won, after 3 wins, 5 draws and 9 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Cerezo Osaka, by (2-0). In the last match, they lost in a home match against Kawasaki Frontale, by (1-3). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 3 wins, 2 draws and 10 losses in away matches, with 10 goals scored and 22 conceded; against 4 wins, 4 draws and 7 losses at their stadium, with 19 goals scored and 21 conceded. The team comes to this match after a home victory with Honda Lock by (5-2). For the league, Júbilo Iwata won 7 points out of 24 possible points, after 2 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses in the last 8 away matches. In the away matches there are some more frequent results: at the end of the first 45 ‘0-0 (6 in 9 matches) and at the end of the match 1-0 (3 in 9 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their away matches for this competition there is a tendency for few goals, since in 7 of the last 8 they played there were less than 3 goals. This is a team that scores only a few times and was only able to open the scoring in 4 of its last 17 matches for the J1 League, of these 4 came to rest in advantage in 1 and won at the end of the 90 ‘in 3. In 17 matches in this competition, he never got the comeback in the 11 games in which he suffered the first goal. In the last 13 away matches for all competitions there is 1 period that stands out: they have scored 3 of their 8 goals between minutes (76’-90 ‘).
The Jubilee Iwata arrives at this highly motivated game, after a great victory against the Honda Lock, by 5-2, in a game for the Emperor’s Cup: the goals of the team were marked by Hitoshi, Nakayama (2), Moriya and Morishita However, the visiting team has not managed to maintain the regularity in the Japanese championship, since it adds 5 consecutive games without winning. For acting away from home, coach Hideto Suzuki must present a defensive team, waiting for the opponent in his defensive midfield. Right-back Gerson Rodrigues deserves all the attention so far, as he scored 4 goals. For this game, the coach does not have Nakamura, Ogawa and Kawamata, all with physical problems.
PREDICTION: Kashima to win @ 1,67
