In a marquee matchup on Sunday, last year's champions Kobe Victory and Yokohama Marinos battled it out, and Yokohama Marinos managed to take all three points with an outstanding performance that sealed a 2-0 victory.
The key tactic for the Yokohama Mariners in this battle will be to quickly switch sides of the attack and utilize the team's side's threatening flanking ability. Kewell's team will need to maintain a high level of concentration if they are to tear through the defense in this battle against Osaka Flyers.
The performance of Brazilian striker and team's spiritual leader Andersen Lubis was especially crucial as he was an integral part of the team's offensive end.
Recall that last Saturday, Osaka Flying Foot went on the road to challenge Hokkaido Sapporo Gonzaga, but unexpectedly lost 0-1. However, the team quickly adjusted their form and came back with a stunning victory to break their undefeated streak in the league this season.
In this defeat, Osaka Flyers exposed the lack of defense in dealing with the opponent's crosses. On the other hand, the team has good attacking players such as Ryotaro Gono up front. In this match, Ritaro Gono's outstanding performance was eye-catching. In his league debut against Hokkaido Sapporo, he showed amazing strength and got rid of the opponent with his skillful dribbling many times.
Although the return of Akitaro is expected to boost the offense of Osaka Flyers, I still think there is a clear gap between the two teams' offensive strengths. I expect the superior Yokohama Mariners to win easily at home and take the three points.
