Kobe Victory ship hosted FC Tokyo in their home ground, but lost 0-2. It was the first time in the past 9 rounds of league matches that they have suffered a defeat, and it was a major setback for them. In my opinion, the reason for Kobe's defeat was that they failed to contain Ryotaro Araki, the centerpiece of FC Tokyo's midfield, and allowed him too much freedom to assist the team's offense with ease.
The valor of the team's leader is especially crucial in this matchup. Against the might of Iwata Yamaha, the leader must lead his team to steal the limelight in order to stop their opponents from sustaining their momentum.
Two weeks ago, Yamaha Iwata turned back Sakura Osaka with a 2-1 victory, a victory that at least added hope to the relegation path. For today's match, Yamaha will need to ensure that their defense, midfield and forward line work closely together while aggressively competing for second down balls. Victory's attacking greats, Isamu Osako and Yoshinori Muto, will have to limit their free space.
Coach Xie Ming's confidence was evident as he skillfully set up his team's goal in the exciting first match against Sakura. With his amazing speed and sharp shooting touch, he is undoubtedly the biggest threat to the team today.
However, Kobe Victory have a solid midfield structure, rock-solid defense, and are good at fighting for the second point of the ball. Based on this, I predict they will get back to winning ways in today's match and win three points to continue their push for the league title.
