Matsumoto Yamaga enter this match as one of the few who have not yet been defeated, while Urawa hopes to grab their first win tonight at Sunpro Alwin, the home of Yamaga, where they have won once before.
Matsumoto Yamaga are coming into this match as the 4th team in J-League after two rounds. In the 2 matches behind them, Matsumoto Yamaga managed to grab a point against Iwata (1:1) and won the next match against Oita (0:1). Despite holding a 1-1-0 record, I am not too impressed by Yamaga, as they did not really face off against any strong team yet. Both Iwata and Oita are not considered a strong competitor, so their record only looks good on the paper, while the reality will become clear as we get deeper into the season. In addition to a win and a draw in the league, Yamaga managed to defeat Shimizu in the Cup competition (2:1). With those results behind them, Yamaga are surely entering this match with high spirits and hopes to add a 2nd win in a row to their record.
On the other side, we have Urawa Reds, who have not been too convincing in the opening two matches of J-League. With a draw against Vegalta Sendai (0:0) in the opening match and a 0:2 loss against Sapporo on March 3rd, they have fallen to the second-to-last spot in the league. Despite underwhelming results in the league up until now, Urawa managed to get a huge morale boost on March 6th, when they defeated Buriram in AFC Champions League with a high 3 goal win (3:0).
Matsumoto Yamaga will come into this fixture without Jo, Yamamoto and Leandro, while Urawa Reds remain without Fabricio and Muto.
This is a highly anticipated match for Matsumoto Yamaga, who host Urawa Reds. In the history between these two clubs, Urawa ended on top on all 3 occasions, winning 1:0, 1:2 and 2:1. This time Yamaga hope they will get a chance to turn it around and win against the Saitama club for the first time in the history of the club. With a 2-1 record this season, including a 2:1 win against Shimizu in the Cup match, Yamaga will come into this fixture with a huge morale boost. On the other side, Urawa Reds have a lot to prove after a disappointing start of the season. On the bright side, they seemingly woke up in the AFC Champions League, when they dominated Buriram. They will hope the good form will translate into this match and get them the first win in J-League. What we expect to see in this match is a great opportunity for Urawa to bounce back and win against Yamaga as they did in all the 3 fixtures they played against them. I believe the win in AFC Champions League gave Urawa Reds the much-needed morale boost to start performing up to par in the J-League, and what better way to start than by winning against Yamaga.
Prediction: Urawa Reds to win
Odds: 2.31 SBOBET
