On August 21st at 18:00, Kashiwa Reysol will host the challenge of Vissel Kobe in the fourth round of the Emperor’s Cup.
In the 27th round of the J1 League last weekend, Kashiwa Reysol defeated their relegation rivals Shonan Bellmare 2-1 away from home. The team’s main striker, Taira Miura, scored a goal after receiving a through ball from Savio, breaking the deadlock and helping Kashiwa Reysol establish an advantage. Substitute center forward Kousuke Kimoto added another goal using his physical strength, allowing the team to secure all three points smoothly. Regarding the team’s excellent performance that broke the streak of winless matches, Kashiwa Reysol coach Masamichi Umeda said, “In terms of the league table, if we lost this match, we would have been caught up with, so it was a very important game. The upcoming schedule for the Emperor’s Cup and the league is tight, we will quickly recover our physical condition and prepare for the next match.”
Currently, in the J1 League standings, Kashiwa Reysol is temporarily ranked 15th with 8 wins, 9 draws, and 9 losses, only 5 points away from the relegation zone. Considering the strong reinforcements of teams like Kyoto Sanga this season, Kashiwa Reysol’s relegation pressure has significantly increased in the second half of the season. In the 13 home games this season, Kashiwa Reysol has achieved 4 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses, which is not ideal. In the previous rounds of the Emperor’s Cup, Kashiwa Reysol barely won against lower-level league teams, Iwate Grulla Morioka and Tsukuba University, indicating a relatively poor performance in cup competitions.
In terms of squad, Kashiwa Reysol will lose the help of cup regular striker Eiho Makaya in this match, but the rest of the starters can play healthily. It is worth noting that young winger Takuya Shimamura received a red card suspension in the last league match and will be more energetic than his teammates in this cup match.
The visiting Vissel Kobe drew 2-2 with Gamba Osaka at home in the last league match. After coming off the bench, Daisuke Miyaji scored a goal to help Kobe take the lead again. However, Shingo Nakagomi’s equalizer in stoppage time made Kobe lose the chance to advance in the league standings. This is already the second time in the last four league matches that Vissel Kobe has lost points due to conceding a goal in the final stages of the game. Regarding the team’s current performance, Kobe coach Takayuki Yoshito expressed dissatisfaction in the post-match interview: “It’s regrettable that we only got one point in a very important match. As a team, we were still too lax in the final moments. We want to experience such a situation again, and we certainly won’t make the same mistakes.”
Currently, in the J1 League standings, Vissel Kobe is temporarily ranked 5th with 13 wins, 7 draws, and 7 losses, two points behind the top three, losing the initiative to catch up on points. However, in the 14 away league matches this season, Vissel Kobe achieved 8 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses, ranking third in the league for away points. Therefore, the team’s ability cannot be underestimated in this away match. In the Emperor’s Cup, Vissel Kobe easily defeated weaker teams, Toyama Victory and Tokushima Vortis, showing a commendable spirit with a substitute lineup.
In terms of squad, Vissel Kobe captain Hotaru Yamaguchi and winger Koya Ohtake have recovered and can participate in this match, but midfielder Mutsuki Saito and wing-back Takuto Ono are still on the injury list. Additionally, Vissel Kobe traditionally makes large-scale rotations in cup matches, and it is likely that the team will start young players in key positions for training in this match.
In the previous 20 encounters between the two teams, Kashiwa Reysol surprisingly won 13 times, drew 3, and lost 4, holding a huge advantage. The fourth round of the Emperor’s Cup adopts a single-elimination system. Can Kashiwa Reysol, enjoying home advantage, avenge their elimination by Kobe in 22 years and successfully advance to the quarter-finals of this season’s Emperor’s Cup?
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