Vissel Kobe are going through a bit of a rough patch, having dropped points in three of their last five matches, but they are still in the thick of the title race and will be in search of a crucial victory when they visit Albirex Niigata on Friday at 7 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.

The Ushi’s back line has let them down of late, with six goals conceded in their last five, but that is only by their outstanding record in the opening part of the season. Their back line is still solid and they have a front line that is the envy of almost every team.

Vissel enter the weekend in third place, five points back of first place Yokohama F·Marinos, but they do have a match in hand so they can close the gap quickly with some results.

Albi are riding high after snapping their five-match winless streak last weekend. Shunsuke Mito kept his strong season going as he led the team to an impressive win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima that put them nine points clear of the drop zone.

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.