[Diomed]

J.LEAGUE/ Golden Week no time to kick feet up

With barely enough time to dry their uniforms following a full slate of games on Thursday, all 18 J1 clubs will go at it again Sunday in the third round of matches scheduled for Golden Week.

The top three teams had their progress slowed in Round 9 as draws were the order of the day, and Gamba, Urawa and Reysol will be champing at the bit for wins in Round 10.

* * *

Yokohama FC (18) vs. Vissel Kobe (13)

With only one goal in their last five games, the mood in the Yokohama FC camp must be one of increasing frustration. They've lost seven of their first nine matches, scored only four times, conceded a league-worst 18 goals and have taken up full-time residency in the league basement. On the plus side, the geriatric gang have congealed nicely as a defensive unit the last four matches, limiting Kashima, Tokyo, Shimizu and Kofu to a single goal each. Vissel have been faring much better in J1 this year than Yokohama and will rely on former national team striker Yoshito Okubo (five goals in seven matches) to vanquish their J2 rivals from last season.

Oita Trinita (15) vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (12)

It came as no surprise Thursday that Oita, having gone scoreless for 360 minutes heading into their match against Nagoya, got goals from two players who had never scored in J1 before. What was a surprise is that the debut goals from Augusto and Masaru Matsuhashi helped lead the struggling Trinitans to victory over one of the strongest teams in the league so far this year. Things won't get any easier for Oita this weekend, as Sanfrecce boasts just one loss in their last five outings.

Albirex Niigata (10) vs. Ventforet Kofu (9)

Ventforet are on quite a roll with four wins and a tie in their last five games and the whole team pitching in in the scoring department. Albirex are having a similar season, with only two blemishes in the loss column and goals coming from all over the pitch (when they're scoring).

Niigata's hard-fought 0-0 draw with Reysol on Thursday should go some way to erasing the memory of the 6-0 whipping they received from the F Marinos a week earlier, but Alibirex will need to address the issue of zero goals in three matches if they hope to get a leg up on Kofu.

Gamba Osaka (1) vs. Shimizu S-Pulse (4)

With clutch scorer Magno Alves suspended for Gamba, the Osakans will turn to Bare and Ryuji Bando to blow holes in the stubborn Shimizu defense. Matches between the two clubs have been split down the middle, 16-2-16, and this rubber match promises to be a doozey.

Kashima Antlers (11) vs. Yokohama F Marinos (5)

Kashima may consider moving out of Kashima Stadium if their lousy run at home continues. Of the 12 points they've accumulated this season, only one has been earned at home, that in a 0-0 draw with Omiya Ardija. The Antlers will be chuffed with their come-from-behind victory over F.C. Tokyo on Thursday, but will be up against one of the hottest teams of late in the F Marinos, who have outscored their last three opponents by a margin of 13-1. If things go their way in Round 10, the F Marinos could climb as high as second in the table. Will wonders never cease?

Omiya Ardija (17) vs. Urawa Reds (2)

The Reds easiest "away" game this year can certainly only end in favor of the champions. Anything else will require a radical rethink in strategy ahead of their crucial AFC Champions League match against Indonesia's Persik Kediri on Wednesday.

Kawasaki Frontale (6) vs. F.C. Tokyo (16)

A heavy schedule and relatively shallow bench are beginning to get the better of Frontale, who looked like they were dipping into their reserve tanks in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the F Marinos. With a crucial home game this Wednesday against Indonesia's Arema Malang, the only team that still has a (slim) chance of knocking Frontale out of the AFC Champions League, Kawasaki will be thanking their lucky stars that the schedule has thrown up the miserable F.C. Tokyo as their opponent in Round 10. Three goals in Tokyo's last seven matches ain't gonna cut it in J1.

Jubilo Iwata (8) vs. Nagoya Grampus (7)

The only team to not drop a point at home this year, Jubilo will be out to put the skids on a roller-coaster ride of inconsistency. Thursday's loss to Shimizu was a debilitating blow, but with the top three teams all drawing in Round 9, things could have been much worse for Adilson's men. Nagoya is a team on the decline, having lost four of their previous five matches after blazing the trail with four wins to open the season. Worse still for Grampus is that they are losing to some of the worst teams in the league, including Omiya and Oita.

JEF United Chiba (14) vs. Kashiwa Reysol (3)

JEF manager Amar Osim could not have been more steamed than he was following his team's 1-1 tie with Urawa on Thursday. After playing the league champs at Saitama Stadium "for 120 minutes of the last 180 minutes with one less man" as a result of two red cards in their last two meetings, Osim looked as though he could have strangled someone. JEF fans will hope the fire the normally stoic, easygoing Osim displayed Thursday will rub off on the players Sunday.