Japan cup 23th May

[igor5]

Japan - Cup

Wed 23-05-2007 - 12:00
Yokohama FC - Tokio FC 2.35 3.50 2.75
Shimizi S-Pulse - Omiya Ardija 1.65 3.70 5.00
Sanfrecce Hiroshima - Jef United 2.00 3.30 4.20
Oita Trinita - Jubilo Iwata2.20 3.20 3.20
Albirex Niigata - Grampus Nagoya 1.80 3.40 4.20
Kashiwa Reysol - Yokohama F-Marinos 2.00 3.25 3.75
Vissel Kobe - Gamba Osaka4.50 3.60 1.85
Ventforet Kofu - Kashima Antlers 2.40 3.20 2.90
Betbase

[junior98]

i,m fancy on shimizu.s.p and kashima antlers at the moment but i still wait for the teams news anybody can help me maybe

[igor5]

S-Pulse Preview
May is proving to be an extremely eventful month for supporters of Omiya Ardija. It began with the agonising disappointment of a last minute defeat at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, but then - as far as league performances are concerned - picked up with a terrific fighting display against deadly rivals Urawa Reds; a point at Vissel Kobe, despite playing more than half the match with ten men; and a critical victory over fellow strugglers Yokohama FC in torrential conditions at Komaba on Saturday.

Combine all of this with feverish speculation involving both the signing of international forward Masashi Oguro and the sacking of coach Robert Verbeek, the possible addition to the squad of Takuya Yamada and Takashi Hirano and then the apparent throwing away of a place in the knock-out stage of the Nabisco Cup, and you have a group of fans growing used to living on tenterhooks. What possible twists and turns could yet lie ahead of the Squirrels in the remainder of the 2007 campaign?

Since almost the start of the year, Verbeek has been on the receiving end of a deal of criticism - not least on these very pages - but it ought to be acknowledged that an improvement in Ardija's league results has clearly taken place in recent weeks. Indeed, the team are on an unbeaten run, if it can thus be described, of fully three games and are applying greater pressure to the sides around them in the division as a consequence. The Dutchman's team cannot score goals, it's true, but neither are they conceding and the squad deserve some credit for having ground out results when severely depleted by injury and suspension.

Nobody could accuse this Ardija XI of being spectacular or exciting, but the hard work put in by normally unsung grafters like Masato Saito, Daisuke Tomita and Yoshiyuki Kobayashi has done much to provide the team with a solid foundation. Press interviews with captain Chikara Fujimoto before the Yokohama FC game also underlined the feeling that the Omiya squad is becoming a positive and focused unit rather than one preparing to succumb to the certainty of relegation.

This is not, of course, to claim that the orange ointment is entirely free of flies. After two wins and two draws in their first four Nabisco Cup group games, the Squirrels appeared to have one foot in the next round of the competition; but just days after the 1-1 draw against Urawa had earned praise from all quarters, Omiya put in a shocking Cup performance at home to Shimizu S-Pulse and slumped to a deserved 2-1 defeat.

And so Yokohama F Marinos will travel to Kashiwa Reysol on Wednesday night in pole position in the group, with Ardija forced to play catch-up in a distinctly tricky-looking return fixture at S-Pulse. The Squirrels can still get through, but only if they record a better result than Marinos.

Any assessment at the moment of a possible team line-up has to begin with a roll-call of players ruled out of contention, due either to fitness concerns (Naoya Saeki, presumably Daigo Kobayashi and the forgotten man of Omiya Ardija, Naoto Sakurai) or disciplinary reasons (Leandro). Yasuhiro Hato covers himself in glory by actually falling into both camps, having got injured while committing the offence that saw him sent off at Vissel Kobe.

Coach Verbeek has shown some reluctance to start with Hayato Hashimoto despite a series of impressive displays as substitute, and this being the case perhaps the most likely scenario against S-Pulse is for a return to the 4-5-1 formation. Enilton is back in favour as a striker, meaning that Kota Yoshihara and Fujimoto could take the wide positions with the Saito / Yoshiyuki Kobayashi / Yosuke Kataoka trio in the middle.

Clearly the league and survival in the top flight must take priority over making progress in a cup competition. But with a very difficult J1 fixture at Kawasaki Frontale to come on Sunday, nothing can prepare the Squirrels team more effectively than a confidence-boosting win at Nihondaira and a place in the next round of the Nabisco Cup.

Are There Any More Flies Left To Drop?
Former captain Seiichiro Okuno has become the latest player to join Omiya Ardija's ever-growing list of injury victims. At the same time as Takashi Hirano was doing his ligaments in during Monday's training session, Okuno picked up a hamstring injury which is expected to keep him out of contention for a first-team spot for three weeks.

http://furtho.blog4.fc2.com/

[$olvent]

Niigata - Nagoya

@ Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium

Statsistics
League Cup Comparison
Position(pts): Niigata3(8) Nagoya4(1)
Goals For: Niigata(8) Nagoya(5)
Goals Against: Niigata(6) Nagoya(11)
Goal Difference: Niigata(2) Nagoya(-6)

Head to Head(League Cup)
Overall:W.4(1) D.3(1) L.3(1)
Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium:W.2(0) D.1(0) L.1(1)
Goals For 12(4):Edmilson3(2),S.Suzuki2(1),Fukai1(1),Kaimoto1 (0),Own Goal1(0)
Goals Against 11(4):Johnsen2(0),Honda2(0),Tamada1(1),Katayama1(1 ),Kim1(0),Tsuda1(0)
(Only scorers who currently belong to the club)

Possible Squad(Niigata):4-4-2
Kitano,Sakamoto,Chiyotanda,Nagata,Matsuo,Honma,Ter akawa,Marcio,S.Suzuki,Fukai,Yano

Suspention
Niigata:Uchida,Edmilson
Nagoya: None

Match News
How Niigata progress into knock-out rounda?
Get 1st place(straight into next stage)
-Niigata must win
-Draw between Kashima vs Kofu

http://blog.so-net.ne.jp

[Napoleon Solo]

Only top team from each group is certain to go through, the second best teams in Groups A/B and Groups C/D will gain the other places.

Group A
JEF Ichihara - 9 pts
S.Hiroshima - 9 pts
Gamba Osaka - 7 pts
Vissel Kobe - 4 pts (out)

Group B
Yokohama F-M - 8 pts
Omiya Ardija - 8 pts
Shimizu S-Pulse - 5 pts
Kashiwa Reysol - 5 pts

Group C
Oita Trinita - 9 pts
Yokohama FC - 9 pts
FC Tokyo - 7 pts
Jubilo Iwata - 4 pts (out)

Group D
Ventforet Kofu - 10 pts
Kashima Antlers - 9 pts
Albirex Niigata - 8 pts
Nagoya Grampus - 1 pt (out)

[Napoleon Solo]

Sanfrecce Hiroshima v Jef United

Evens available on Hiroshima is very appealing. They buried JEF 3-1, in Ichihara, in the league at the weekend and have been playing some very good football recently, whilst JEF have been wallowing in their own self pity. Sanfrecce need the win to be certain of progressing to the next round and I believe they'll get it.

[junior98]

another missing for Omiya ( Former captain Seiichiro Okuno ) ? seems like they will go without some key players hmmm....
more confident for shimizu

[Napoleon Solo]

I'm also looking at a Shimizu win Junior, you can get 1.96 on the Asian Handicap -0.5 at Canbet as well.

[junior98]

yeah missing some key players including the captain i think this will be easy game for Shimizu who has in a good form