Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama FC could hardly be more different, but when they meet on Saturday at 4 pm JST, they will do so in pretty similar places; both clubs will be in need of three points to continue their needed climbs up the table, and you can watch them clash live on the J.League International YouTube channel.
Frontale have defined this era of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, winning four of the last six titles, sending phenomenal players off to some of Europe’s biggest leagues and playing brilliant football to represent the very best of what the sport in Japan has offered,
The Fulie haven’t had such success. They are a small club that is playing only its fourth season in the top flight, having never finished higher than 15th, but they are proud and deeply rooted in Yokohama, as they have been since being founded by their fans.
Results must come immediately if either club wants to reach their goals for this season, though.
Frontale still view themselves as a club that can challenge at the top, but they’re in 11th place and falling increasingly further adrift from the top. The Fulie, hoping to spend another season in J1, are second from the bottom.
Every point matters for both and with three points on offer at NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium, they both need to make it count.
Yokohama have two wins in their last three, both by 1-0 scorelines. When their defense can keep its shape, they are a credible team that can get the results they need. Unfortunately for them, they often struggled to do just that at the back, having allowed a league high 30 goals in 13 matches.
Will the Fulie’s best self show up on Saturday? If so, the door is open for the irresistible Koki Ogawa to lead Yokohama to victory.
If the Fulie’s defense is not up to snuff, Taisei Miyashiro and Co. could run riot. The 22-year-old has already established himself as the star of the Frontale attack and now he’s trying to become a league-wide star.
It’s all on the line, and three crucial points are waiting, as Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama FC square off in another great Meiji Yasuda J1 League clash.
