Wednesday Preview: Kashiwa Struggling, Kobe Faced with Difficult Choices in Multi-Front Battles

On September 25, in the quarterfinals of the Japanese Emperor’s Cup, Kashiwa Reysol will face off against Vissel Kobe. While Kashiwa Reysol has been struggling recently, Vissel Kobe is involved in battles on three fronts and needs to make choices, still having hopes for defending their title in the J1 League.

Kashiwa Reysol currently ranks 4th in this season’s J.League, 8 points behind the 3rd place with one less game played, making it unlikely to secure a top 3 finish in the J.League. On the other hand, Vissel Kobe is currently 3rd in the J.League, only 1 point away from the top two teams, still with a chance to defend their title.

Since the champion of the Emperor’s Cup can directly qualify for the AFC Champions League, for the few teams that still have hopes of advancing, this is a shortcut. Kashiwa Reysol’s foreign player Cafu Ricard has scored 2 goals in 3 appearances in the Emperor’s Cup so far, while on the Vissel Kobe side, midfielder Daiki Sasaki has also scored 2 goals in 3 appearances in the Emperor’s Cup, including the winning goal in the last round against Kashiwa Reysol.

Although Kashiwa Reysol’s performance in this year’s Emperor’s Cup has improved significantly compared to last season, they have eliminated teams from the J3 and J2 leagues in the previous three rounds. In contrast, Vissel Kobe has steadily advanced, successively eliminating teams from the J3, J2, and J1 leagues, including Kashiwa Reysol.

In Kashiwa Reysol’s past six games, aside from eliminating Kashiwa Reysol in the Emperor’s Cup, they have remained winless in five J.League matches, achieving only 2 draws and 3 losses, indicating poor recent form. However, Kashiwa Reysol has maintained an undefeated record at home this season, although they have drawn all three of their most recent games, including matches against Urawa Reds, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and Kashiwa Reysol, with two of these games ending goalless.

Under the pressure of competing on three fronts, Vissel Kobe has remained unbeaten in eight consecutive games, also maintaining an unbeaten record in five away games, achieving 4 wins and 1 draw, including a 1-0 elimination of Kashiwa Reysol in the Emperor’s Cup and a 0-0 draw against Buriram United in the AFC Champions League.

In the last ten encounters between the two teams, Kashiwa Reysol has four wins, two draws, and four losses, evenly matched. In the J1 League match this season, each team won at home, and the last time they met in the Emperor’s Cup was in 2022, when Kashiwa Reysol won 1-0 away from home and advanced.

The Emperor’s Cup has reached a crucial stage, especially for Kashiwa Reysol, who have little hope of finishing in the top 3 of the league, this is definitely seen as a “lifeline.” Vissel Kobe, under the pressure of competing on multiple fronts, needs to make choices, especially since there is still hope of defending their title in the J1 League.

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