The spotlight has turned to the battle for the Japanese throne, especially the matchup between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Hida Osaka. Sanfrecce have had a strong season with 7 wins and 1 loss in their last 8 matches, but they lost on penalties against Nagoya Whale in the JLF Cup. A win for the hosts in today's Royal Japan Cup match seems to be a foregone conclusion.
Looking back at Sanfrecce, they have finished third in the Nippon Professional League over the past two seasons and have managed to make it to the Nippon League by breaking into the Nippon League Cup for the second year in a row, ultimately winning the title and finishing as runners-up. This season Sanfrecce have once again played on multiple fronts, currently sitting at the top of the Japanese Position and advancing to the last eight of the Royal Cup. However, Sanfrecce went first in the Nippon League Cup against the Whale, only to lose 0-1 in the second round, draw 2-2 in overtime, and ultimately lose on penalties.
After 29 rounds of league play, Sanfrecce scored 53 goals, with outstanding performance in both offense and defense. Before losing to the Whale, both offense and defense were impressive, whether it was a loss in warm-up matches or 10 consecutive victories at home, including 7 shutouts, making them a rare "bankable team" for fans to see.
Flying Foot of Osaka, on the other hand, is back on track, but their form has been fluctuating lately, with only one win in their last six matches, and the victories are not easy to come by. The visitors' prospects are not promising as they will face aggressive Sanfrecce in the Royal Cup, but they will not be able to avoid conceding a goal. A home win pays 1.59 times the price, so it's worth a punt.
