There is something special about watching a team find its groove and churn out results week after week. They settle into their system, show the ability to play all over the pitch and manage matches so they can be at their best in key moments. And right now, no teams in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League are doing that better than Avispa Fukuoka, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Urawa Reds.
The trio of teams all have gone at least five in a row unbeaten, with the Viola even outstripping the other two with a six-match undefeated streak.
It’s not just a matter of them stringing together draws either, with them all winning at least three matches in their current runs of excellence. They have simply been excellent, racking up points and moving up the table.
Sanfrecce and Avi are level on 14 points with second place Nagoya Grampus, just two off the top, while Urawa check in just a point back of them.
This week, Sanfrecce and Avi in particular appear to have good chances of extending their unbeaten streaks. The Viola take on Yokohama FC, who are yet to win this season, while Avi square off against an Albirex Niigata team that hasn’t won in their last three.
The difficulty for the two will be that both have to play away from home, and the support at both Yokohama and Niigata will make things tough for the visitors as the home fans buzz for 90 minutes.
Urawa are at home this weekend, but they will be hosting a Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo side that has yet to lose away this season.
The challenges in front of all three this weekend are nothing new. Every team plays half their games away from home, against teams like Consa who excel away or match up against the league leader in goals like Yokohama’s Koki Ogawa. But that is what makes unbeaten stretches like the ones Sanfrecce, Avi and Urawa are on so special - they face tough tasks every week, and week after week they are up to it.
