On July 10 at 18:00, the third round of the Imperial Cup will see Oita Trinita host J.League veteran side Kawasaki Frontale.
In last weekend’s J2 League matchday 23, Oita Trinita pulled off a surprising 1-0 victory away against dark horse Fukushima United FC. Substitute center forward Kim Hyun-Woo scored the winning goal in the dying minutes, assisted by Ayumu Nishikawa. The defense, led by goalkeeper Keisuke Muneyuki, also performed admirably, keeping a clean sheet despite the opponents’ 13 shots, six of which were on target. Regarding the team’s current state, Oita Trinita head coach Tomohiro Katanosaka said, “We are currently battling injuries. The word ‘perseverance’ truly describes our situation. This will give us confidence for the Imperial Cup game, and we will prepare with all our might.”
Currently in the J2 League standings, Oita Trinita is temporarily ranked 14th with 6 wins, 10 draws, and 7 losses, maintaining a 6-point gap from the relegation zone. They are likely to secure their safety well before the end of the season while refining their new tactical system. However, in this season’s 12 home games, Oita Trinita has only managed 1 win, 7 draws, and 4 losses, giving them a win rate of just 8%, ranking among the lowest for home scoring efficiency in the league. In the previous nine home league matches, Oita Trinita failed to secure a single victory, with their attack looking rather weak. However, in the second round of the Imperial Cup, they defeated local rivals Kagoshima United 1-0 at home, with veteran Issei Izumi scoring the decisive goal.
In terms of squad availability, Oita Trinita continues to be plagued by a large number of injured players. The team has nine injured players: Yukiya Uchida, Samuel, Yuki Takahashi, Masato Machida, Ryo Hitotsuyanagi, Tadashi Ikeda, Jun Sakai, Kenji Ueki, and Shohei Ono. Veteran forward Keita Nagase, who started in the last league match, is unlikely to start in this cup match.
Kawasaki Frontale drew 2-2 away to Shonan Bellmare in their last league match, having briefly taken the lead through Tatsuya Uchiyama’s goal but conceding late to substitute Daiki Yamada. Many Japanese media outlets attribute Kawasaki Frontale’s recent poor form in all competitions to the early-season AFC Champions League impact and outdated tactics. Team manager Naoki Sugihara has repeatedly stated that Kawasaki Frontale will go all out in every match this season, but the team’s attacking coordination has not yet reached its best.
In the current J.League standings, Kawasaki Frontale is temporarily ranked 15th with 5 wins, 9 draws, and 8 losses. Due to the upsets by bottom teams such as Tosu, Shonan, and Kyoto last weekend, Kawasaki Frontale, with only 24 league points, has been dragged into a relegation battle. If they fail to score in this weekend’s league match, they risk dropping into the relegation zone. In this season’s 11 away games, Kawasaki Frontale has only recorded 1 win, 5 draws, and 5 losses, with a meager win rate of 9%. They conceded nearly two goals per game on average, displaying a rather lackluster performance. In the second round of the Imperial Cup, Kawasaki Frontale struggled to beat semi-professional side Sendai Sony 2-0 at home, making their advancement anything but easy.
Regarding squad availability, Kawasaki Frontale captain Ryota Oshima has recovered from his injury. However, defenders Sota Miura and Yusuke Maruyama continue to be sidelined, and there have been no updates on the injury status of Brazilian striker Elison, leaving the personnel situation far from optimistic.
In their previous 20 meetings, Kawasaki Frontale has won 12, drawn 5, and lost 3, holding a psychological advantage. In this match, the severely depleted Oita Trinita will have to make a choice between the league and the cup. Can Kawasaki Frontale take advantage and win to wash away their recent slump?
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