Wednesday Preview: Kashiwa Reysol Unbeaten at Home in League Play, Tosu Sandro Suffers Heavy Losses in Transfer Window

On August 7 at 6 PM, Matchday 25 of the J.League, Kashiwa Reysol will host relegation-threatened Tosu Sandro at Ibaraki Prefectural Stadium.

In their last match before the break, on Matchday 24 of the J.League, Kashiwa Reysol defeated FC Tokyo 2-1 at home to return to winning ways. Right-side players Meiko Hatano and Kousuke Nishino scored goals, dashing FC Tokyo’s hopes for points. In that match, former captain Kenyu Sugimoto, who returned to the team during the summer transfer window, came off the bench in the second half and played well, intercepting several counterattacks by the opposition. After the game, Kashiwa Reysol head coach Zeljko Popovic praised his team: “I think the whole team performed very well. We can beat any opponent no matter what, we’ve shown our best, and I’m very satisfied.”

In the current J.League standings, Kashiwa Reysol is temporarily in third place with a record of 13 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses, 5 points behind league leaders Machida Zelvia. With 14 rounds remaining, there is still significant room for them to catch up. Additionally, in this season’s 12 home matches, Kashiwa Reysol has recorded 8 wins and 4 draws without a loss, averaging 1.6 goals per game on offense and conceding less than one goal per game on defense, a truly impressive performance. However, in a friendly match during the break, Kashiwa Reysol lost 1-5 to Brighton with their full-strength lineup, which was a blow to morale.

In terms of squad composition, Kashiwa Reysol’s Eastern European attacking player Milosavljevic officially returned in the match against Brighton, but substitute center-forward Kavliric left the previous league match due to injury and is unlikely to play in this game. During the transfer window, apart from re-signing Kenyu Sugimoto, Kashiwa Reysol has not made any other signings, and their squad structure is now stable.

The visiting team, Tosu Sandro, suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat at home to veteran powerhouse Hiroshima Sanfrecce in their last match. The team briefly equalized in the second half through the individual efforts of foreign player Marcelo, but after Hiroshima made substitutions, the situation on the pitch changed, and Tosu Sandro, lacking defensive depth, could not withstand Hiroshima’s attacks, eventually conceding two more goals near the end of the match, ending any hope of salvaging points. Regarding the painful loss, Tosu Sandro head coach Kenzo Kawae admitted he understood the tactical discrepancies between the team’s attack and defense, and noted the difference in goal-scoring ability between the two sides.

In the current J.League standings, Tosu Sandro is temporarily in 19th place with a record of 7 wins, 2 draws, and 15 losses, one win away from escaping the relegation zone. Their negative 13-goal differential does not give them an advantage in the relegation battle. In this season’s 11 away matches, Tosu Sandro has only managed 3 wins, 1 draw, and 7 losses, totaling 10 points, conceding nearly two goals per game on average, making their away form difficult to overestimate. During the break, Tosu Sandro had planned to play a commercial match against La Liga team Sevilla, but the match was canceled due to the team’s relegation concerns, disappointing many local fans.

In terms of squad composition, Tosu Sandro will be without the help of attacking players Fumiaki Honda and Keiki Narahara, both of whom are likely to miss the rest of the season. Furthermore, Tosu Sandro lost key midfielders Yuki Kikuchi, Yoichi Nagao, and Kosei Totsuka during the transfer window, while signing only midfielder Kenji Nishizawa from Fujieda and fringe foreign player Silva from FC Tokyo, resulting in a net loss for the summer.

In their last 20 meetings, Kashiwa Reysol has won 10, drawn 5, and lost 5, holding the psychological upper hand. In this round of the league, Kashiwa Reysol will aim to continue chasing Machida Zelvia with their home advantage. Can relegation-anxious Tosu Sandro escape unscathed as visitors despite heavy losses in the transfer window?

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