🏏 Sun, 17 May 2026 13:00 JST
V-varen Nagasaki
vs
Vissel Kobe
3-4-2-1 vs 3-4-2-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- 13th-placed Nagasaki (19 points from 16 games) host 5th-placed Kobe (25 points from 14 games). Nagasaki are in the thick of the relegation battle on 19 points, five points clear of 17th-placed, drop-zone Mito. Kobe sit 5th, six points off leaders Kashima, and are aiming to push up the table. Kobe lost 0-3 at home to Okayama last time out and will want to halt a losing run.
- This season's first meeting came in Matchday 2 at Kobe's home, where Kobe won comfortably 2-0. This is the rematch at Nagasaki's home, where the hosts will be looking for revenge. Nagasaki have two wins, a draw and two losses in their last five (D-W-L-W-L), while Kobe have one win, two draws and two losses (W-D-L-D-L), so neither side is riding a wave of form.
- Both sides line up in a 3-4-2-1. Nagasaki are marshalled in midfield by former Japan international holding midfielder Hotaru Yamaguchi (a World Cup veteran who set a league record for interceptions and was praised by David Villa as having 'everything you need in midfield'), with Brazilian forward Thiago Santana leading the line. Kobe place Yuya Osako (the Japan centre-forward famed for 'Osako is unreal' and scorer of the decisive goal against Colombia at the 2018 Russia World Cup) up front as a lone striker.
- Kobe's attack is a lavish one: alongside Yuya Osako, Yoshinori Muto (born 1992, the first Japanese player to score in all of Europe's big three leagues across the Bundesliga, Premier League and La Liga, and 2024 J.League MVP) and Daiki Sasaki (an RW signed from SE Palmeiras) come in as second strikers. How three Japan international-calibre attackers fare against Nagasaki's defence is a highlight.
- Nagasaki's midfield pairs Hotaru Yamaguchi and Riku Yamada in a double pivot, with Junya Yoneda and Masahiro Sekiguchi as wide midfielders. Kobe pair Yosuke Ideguchi and Brazilian midfielder Diego centrally, with former Japan international Gotoku Sakai (a German Cup runner-up at Hamburger SV who also starred at Stuttgart) and Nasei Iino as the two wing-backs.
- Nagasaki line up their back three with Eduardo Justi, Kazuki Kushibiki and Kiyoshi Onaga, with Masaaki Goto in goal. Kobe field an internationally diverse back three of Caetano, Mateus Thuler and Boniface Ndoka, with Taiya Maekawa between the posts. With both teams setting up attacking line-ups, an open, end-to-end game is in prospect.
- Nagasaki's Brazilian midfielder Mateus Jesus and Genki Hasegawa support Thiago Santana as second strikers. Brazil international Diego Pituca also waits in reserve, giving Nagasaki a strong substitutes' bench too. Kobe have former Japan international goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda and Brazilian forward Jean Patric among their reserves, so in terms of squad depth Kobe hold the edge.