Two sides at opposite ends of the J1 League standings will meet on Wednesday afternoon when Kashima Antlers take on Sagan Tosu at Kashima Soccer Stadium.
The hosts are currently in third place with 44 points after 24 matches this season, while the visitors are second-bottom with 23 points earned over the same period.
Match preview
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After finishing 19 points behind league winners Vissel Kobe last season, Kashima Antlers have kept pace with the chasing pack this term, currently level on points with second-placed Gamba Osaka and trailing shock leaders Machida Zelvia by five points.
However, KAS have slipped in the standings in recent weeks following a relatively underwhelming run of form, which included two losses and a draw in their last five games, following a 10-match unbeaten streak dating back to mid-April.
Ranko Popovic's side bounced back from a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Yokohama F Marinos with a 2-1 home win over Tokyo Verdy last weekend, with Shintaro Nago and Kimito Nono both getting on the scoresheet either side of Keita Endo's sole strike for the visitors.
That result kept the Antlers' unbeaten league record at Kashima Soccer Stadium intact for the season and their 28-point tally from 12 games is the best return on home soil of any team in the top flight.
The hosts have not lost on their home soil in league competition since September last year and are unbeaten against their upcoming opponents at this venue in their last eight encounters dating back to July 2016.
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Meanwhile, after dropping to 14th place last season from 11th in 2022, Sagan Tosu's downward spiral has continued this term, as they enter gameweek 25 below the dotted line and two points from safety.
Sagan lost their last match 4-1 at home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima last weekend, marking their 15th top-flight defeat of the season, which is already one more than they lost across the entire of the last campaign.
While Kenta Kawai's side have done fairly well in attack, scoring 31 goals to date which is more than second-placed Gamba Osaka have managed, their defence has been woeful, having shipped 44 goals so far which is the second-most in the division.
However, despite their issues, the one positive that visitors have experienced in recent times has been their away record, as they are now gunning for a third consecutive win on the road following an against-the-odds 1-0 win over Yokohama and a thrilling 4-3 victory over Albirex Niigata on their last outing.
Team News
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Kashima Antlers are set to remain without second-choice goalkeeper Yuji Kajikawa, which will likely mean that youngster Taiki Yamada will feature on the bench as a backup for Tomoki Hayakawa.
The hosts also suffered a significant injury setback last week when Slovan Bratislava loanee Aleksandar Cavric was forced off against Tokyo Verdy with a knee injury, and he is now facing an extended period on the sidelines.
Sagan Tosu will have to make do without two players due to injury in the form of Fuchi Honda and Yoshiki Narahara, both of whom have not featured at all this season due to serious knee injuries.
Ayumu Yokoyama and Marcelo Ryan have been in good form for the visitors in recent weeks and should spearhead the attack, while Cayman Togashi will be hoping to return to the starting 11 after being dropped to the bench for last week's defeat to Sanfrecce.
Kashima Antlers possible starting lineup:
Hayakawa; Nono, Ueda, Sekigawa, Anzai; Chinen, Shibasaki, Morooka, Nago, Cavric; Suzuki
Sagan Tosu possible starting lineup:
Park; Harada, Yamazaki, Kim, Naganuma; Fukuta, Kawahara, Yokoyama, Slivka, Nakahara; Ryan
We say: Kashima Antlers 3-1 Sagan Tosu
While Sagan Tosu have experienced a slight upturn in their away record recently, it is difficult to back against the hosts, who have the best home record in the division this season and have not lost at this venue in almost a year. We feel this should be a fairly straightforward three points for the Antlers.
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Devesh Jaganath
