🏏 Sat, 19 Sep 2026 18:30 JST
Urawa
vs
Tokyo Verdy
4-1-4-1 vs 3-4-2-1
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- Urawa arrive 12th on nine points from a peculiar 3-0-4 record: seven matches, not a single draw, and a goal difference of -4. Tokyo Verdy sit 19th on four points having still not won, drawing four and losing three while scoring just three goals and conceding nine in seven outings. With leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima already on 17 points, Verdy's only realistic target here is a first victory of the campaign.
- The recent form lines diverge sharply. Urawa strung together three straight wins — 3-2 at home to Yokohama F. Marinos in round four, 3-2 away at Avispa Fukuoka in round five and 1-0 away at Kashima in round six — before losing 1-2 at home to Fagiano Okayama last time out. Verdy have taken three draws and two defeats from their last five, including goalless away trips to Okayama and Cerezo Osaka and a 1-1 home draw with JEF United Chiba.
- Urawa's 4-1-4-1 is anchored by Tatsuki Seko, the 28-year-old holding midfielder whose three seasons at Kawasaki Frontale and spell with Stoke City shaped a tempo-setting passing game often likened to Andrea Pirlo. Ahead of him, Kaito Yasui — a ball-winner who has already passed 100 J1 appearances — and left-footed rookie Ueki, a former Nihon University captain, shuttle box to box. Verdy counter with Rei Hirakawa, once labelled a prodigy in FC Tokyo's academy, alongside long-serving ex-Yokohama FC man Kosuke Saito.
- There is a reunion on the Verdy bench: Kai Shibato, the 30-year-old defensive midfielder who spent years at Urawa before joining Verdy. A combative anchor built on duels and running power, he was a regular during Machida's first J1 season while on loan. For a side stuck on four points in 19th, his ability to lock down midfield could be decisive late on.
- The goalkeeping duel is a study in contrasts. Urawa field 40-year-old Shusaku Nishikawa, a left-footed distributor with more than 600 J1 appearances behind him after earlier spells at Oita Trinita and Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Verdy answer with Mateus, the 189cm Brazilian schooled at Corinthians who played all 42 J2 matches in 2023 to drive the club's first promotion to J1 in 16 years.
- Urawa lead the line with 22-year-old Harumi Minamino, a left-footed centre-forward from Gamba Osaka's academy who scored 10 goals in J3 with Tegevajaro Miyazaki and delivered again in J2 at Tochigi SC. Flanking him are Takuro Kaneko, the left-footed right winger whose cut-ins made his name at Consadole Sapporo before European stints at Dinamo Zagreb and Kortrijk, and No. 10 Matheus Savio, the Flamengo-raised playmaker who starred for Kashiwa Reysol.
- Verdy's spearhead is Itsuki Someno, 25, top scorer at the national high school championship with Shoshi before moving through Kashima Antlers. He holds the ball up, draws fouls and presses relentlessly. Yuya Fukuda, a double high-school title winner with Higashi Fukuoka, occupies one shadow role, while 166cm dribbler Yuta Arai — Maebashi Ikuei then Toyo University — provides the left-sided spark a side with three goals in seven games badly needs.
- Verdy's defensive unit carries a strong Kashima imprint. Naoki Hayashi wore the club's prestigious No. 23 shirt at Antlers and reads the game from the back three with reliable long passing. Alongside him stands the 186cm, 85kg Ryota Inoue, plus Kaito Suzuki, a Jubilo Iwata academy product capped at U-23 level for Japan and known for aggressive interceptions. On the left, 22-year-old Shuhei Mizoguchi, another Kashima youth graduate, supplies precise left-footed delivery.
- Urawa's bench offers genuine late-game firepower. Hiiro Komori, 26, swept the J2 scoring title, MVP award and Best XI after spells at JEF United Chiba and Sint-Truiden; Ado Onaiwu scored in his first three Japan caps and has played in France and Germany with Toulouse, Auxerre and Magdeburg. Add 187cm Sweden international Samuel Gustafson, formerly of Torino, and Urawa have options whether protecting a lead or chasing one.