J-League betting preview............
Jul 02, 2022
Japan J-League 1: Cerezo Osaka - Kawasaki Frontale
We have discussed Kawasaki Frontale's drop off in performance levels and results several times this season, that might seem an odd thing to say about a team in third just three points off the lead, but they have been so dominant in recent years, setting new standards for J-League 1 in the last two, that it is actually a real shock. Through 18 games in 2020 they had 47 points, with an eight point lead and a 55-16 goals difference, last season it was 48 and again an eight point lead, with a 46-13 goal difference. Therefore, they have lost 13-14 points , scored 20-29 fewer goals and conceded 4-7 more!
Ahead of the reverse fixture earlier this season my notes included.........
Cerezo are one of what I consider the six elite J-League teams, they finished 12th last season, but were competing in four competitions, went deep in the other three and it was their league form which suffered, they had finished 3-7-5-4 the previous four seasons and seem almost certain to put in another top 4 push this time around with no international distractions.
Frontale's numbers offer some hope, they are a decent +2 for BC's but that only places them 6th and 23-28 for ITB actually gives a little cause for concern ( Cerezo are 31-26) .
The visitors have a good scoring record in this fixture, a great one actually, with both teams scoring in 9/10 and Cerezo notching 2 or more in seven. That does, however, include three defeats in the last six (3-2/ 5-2/5-4) . The 5-2 game was the season before last and was a game we looked back at quite often, as we were tracking Cerezo from that point onwards as they impressed that day and I wrote afterwards...........the game was still in the balance until the 75th minute, with the visitor having quite a lot of success in terms of chances created and in getting behind the very high Frontale defensive line, which was vulnerable to pace. Four of the Cerezo goals they conceded could/should have been avoided and they, themselves, should have scored three.
I spoke recently about Cerezo needing to stick with 4-4-2 ........... They have been a bit hit and miss so far this season, but it feels like things are coming together and best results (by far) when they have gone back to 4-4-2, that is the formation they have had domestic success with, last season they experimented more, but surely they will stick with the tried and tested 4-4-2 now as their three best results have come the only three times they have used it, a 2-2 draw away to Marinos, 3-2 derby win over Gamba and last time out, a 3-1 victory over SSP.
They obviously took note (!) as they have stuck with that for the two subsequent starts (league and cup) and scored 8 goals.
Cerezo to score twice (2+) is an option and attractively enough priced at 3.25-3.40 (1 unit) , but slight preference on this occasion for "over" 3 goals total (2 units) @ 2.60 asian line.
That played out perfectly with Cerezo winning 4-1 which continued their free scoring record in the h2h series, Frontale have not kicked on statistically subsequently and are still ranked 6th for xGF, 0.2 goals per game inferior to the home side.
2.25 units Cerezo Osaka to score "over" 1.5 goals 3.0-3.25 general quote.
Good luck!
We don't just sell football betting tips, as you can see there is an extensive analysis behind our asian handicap selections. Subscribing to our sports betting advice service need not break the bank. Learn more by visiting our subscriptions page.
Country:
Sport:
Competition:
Football Teams: