🏏 Sat, 16 May 2026 14:00 JST
Mito Hollyhock
vs
Tokyo Verdy
4-4-1-1 vs 3-4-2-1
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- This meeting between 17th-placed Mito Hollyhock (14 points) and 12th-placed Tokyo Verdy (20 points) is an important game for both as they look to climb out of the lower-mid table. With leaders Kashima out in front on 31 points, Mito need three points to break clear of the relegation zone, while Verdy are chasing a win to push into the top 10.
- This season's first meeting came in Matchday 1 at Verdy's home, where Verdy won 3-1. In that game Mito took the lead before being overturned, so they will be looking for revenge at home. For Verdy, this is a valuable chance to claim their first away win of the season.
- Both sides set up in a 3-4-2-1, so the contest for control between the two four-man midfields will be decisive. Mito's attacking midfielder Hiroshi Senba (164cm) creates chances with his ball control in tight spaces, while Verdy's former Japan U-20 international Ren Hirakawa looks to orchestrate play with the technique honed in the FC Tokyo academy.
- Tokyo Verdy's Seimon Teranuma (No. 45) faces his former club Mito Hollyhock. In his rookie professional year at Mito in 2021 he made 38 league appearances and scored 7 goals, and even after recovering from a serious left ACL injury he kept finding the net, making it a club close to his heart. All eyes will be on whether the striker can score a goal against his old side.
- Mito have gone winless over their last five with three defeats and two draws, and shoring up a defence that conceded a heavy 1-4 home loss to Urawa last time out is an urgent task. The key is how the centre-back pairing of Brazilian Danilo (183cm) and Seiya Inoue (187cm) can contain Verdy's attacking trio of Teranuma, Yuya Fukuda and Ryosuke Shirai.
- Verdy had been in good form with three wins and two losses in their last five, but they lost the capital derby 1-2 away to FC Tokyo last time. Captain Koki Morita, wearing the No. 10, shows his true worth in midfield with the ball, while Yuta Arai (166cm) looks to open up the flanks with his incisive dribbling.
- Mito's No. 10 Shinta Watanabe is a veteran striker who won the J2 Golden Boot with 10 goals during his time at Oita. He has shown his sharpness since joining Mito, winning back-to-back Player of the Month awards, and he will draw on his J1 record of 4 goals in 31 appearances to threaten goal. Verdy's goalkeeper Mateus, a 189cm shot-stopper with Brazil U-20 experience, guards the goal with the stability shown by playing all 42 J2 matches in 2023.