Last Saturday's matchup between Kobe Victory and Kawasaki Frontale in the Japanese League ended in a 1-2 draw, with Victory suffering its first loss in the league in recent memory and slipping to 12th place.
Towards the end of the match, Katsushika was unlucky to lose on penalties, a goal that proved to be the difference between victory and defeat. Nonetheless, the team performed well against the high-level Kawasaki Frontale and the overall morale of the team remained high.
Ennistar returned to the field after recovering from his injury last week, and his return has definitely brought new vitality to Victory Boat's midfield. However, he has not yet fully recovered to his best form, so the team should not expect too much from him in this match.
Meanwhile, the Yokohama Mariners picked up their first win in the league's last three matches last week with a 4-1 thrashing of Urawa Red Diamonds. If they can remain undefeated in this campaign, the Mariners will look to succeed in their quest for the league title this season.
The fact that the Mariners have a very good chance of winning the championship has certainly given the team a great deal of motivation. However, this motivation is like a double-edged sword, on the one hand, it motivates the players to work hard, on the other hand, it also brings a lot of pressure. Midfielder Takuya Kita will have to play well again and help the team balance both offense and defense in order to achieve the goal of winning the championship.
