Vissel Kobe climbed to the top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League in Matchweek 3 and haven’t relinquished first place since. They’ve been the class of the first division, but the fight at the upper reaches of the table is tightening up and the Ushi are now under threat of losing their perch as Shonan Bellmare come to town on Saturday at 2 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.

A loss to Yokohama F·Marinos last week brought the champions within two points of Vissel at the top of the table, along with two other clubs. Nagoya Grampus are even closer, just a point back, so the pressure is on the Ushi to get maximum points at home against Shonan.

The visitors bring with them a potent attack. Shuto Machino is one of the best forwards in the entire league and is in the middle of the Top Scorer battle, but the key is he’s gotten more help this season from the likes of Yuki Ohashi. As a result, Shonan are second in the league in goals scored.

Of course the one team they trail is Vissel, whose 19 goals in nine matches paces the league. Yoshinori Muto has been sublime and you know he and the Ushi will be at their very best as they try to protect their place atop the league, making for an exciting contest between two teams that excel whenever they go forward.

The J.League announced that up to four matches will be streamed live each week for the 2023 season, bringing one of Asia’s top league’s to fans around the world. The streams will be free to view on the J.League International YouTube channel in any country that does not have an existing rights agreement.