The Nagoya Whales will play this match after a 1-1 draw with FC Yokohama in the upcoming Japan League Cup. In that match, Nagoya Whale had 42% possession and 5 shots, 1 of which was on goal. Nagoya Whale's goal was scored by Sho Inagaki in the 22nd minute. Opponent Yokohama FC, on the other hand, had 17 shots, three of which were on target, with the goal being scored by Kazuma Takai (86'). In their last six matches, the Nagoya Whale have scored a total of five goals under Kenta Hasegawa, averaging 0.83 goals per game.
And in their last game, the team played a 2-2 draw with Shonan in the J1 League. In that match, Kashima Antlers had 66% of the possession and took 19 shots, 6 of which were on goal. Kashima Antlers' goals were scored by Kaishu Sano (8') and Arthur Caíke (92'). The opposing Shonan Cougars, meanwhile, had seven shots on goal, four of which were on target, with goals scored by Yuki Ohashi (35') and Akito Suzuki (43'). The Kashima Antlers have scored 11 goals in their last six matches, but have also conceded five goals in those games.
In their all-time head-to-head record since March 21, 2021, the two teams have been evenly matched, with Nagoya Whales winning two games, Kashima Antlers winning two games, and two other games tied in 90 minutes. In those matches, they scored a total of 8 goals, with Nagoya Whales scoring 3 and Kashima Antlers 5. The average number of goals per game is 1.33.
The most recent league match between these two teams was in the 23rd round of the J1 League on August 13, 2023, which resulted in a 1-0 Nagoya Whalers Kashima Antlers victory. In that match, Nagoya Whale had 33% possession and 8 shots, 3 of which were on target. Their only goal came from Yuki Nogami (37'). The Kashima Antlers, on the other hand, had 13 shots, 3 of which were on goal.
In terms of team news for the tournament, Nagoya Whalers head coach Kenta Hasegawa has only one player, Takuji Yonemoto (meniscus injury), out of action. The Kashima Antlers, on the other hand, only have one player, Shu Morooka (lateral collateral patellar ligament injury), who is unavailable due to injury, while the rest of the players are healthy and unharmed.
Predicting this match, we think that Kashima Antlers will need to apply a lot of pressure in order to break down the Nagoya Whale's defense, and we think that Nagoya Whale will have a slight advantage. Therefore, we predict that this match will end in a 1-0 win for the Nagoya Whales.
