🏏 Sat, 19 Sep 2026 18:30 JST
V-varen Nagasaki
vs
Cerezo Osaka
3-4-2-1 vs 3-4-2-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
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- V-varen Nagasaki are 14th on seven points from 2-1-4, while Cerezo Osaka sit 10th on 10 points from 3-1-3. Both carry a goal difference of -5, yet they got there differently: Nagasaki have scored nine and conceded 14 in seven matches, Cerezo just six scored and 11 conceded. Only three points separate them in a mid-table meeting neither side can afford to treat lightly.
- Form offers plenty of context. Nagasaki lost 4-2 at Kashiwa Reysol in round three, were beaten 3-0 at home by FC Tokyo in round four and went down 3-1 at Vissel Kobe in round six, before finally winning 2-0 at home against Nagoya Grampus last time. Cerezo beat Kashiwa 2-0 in round five and drew 0-0 with Tokyo Verdy, but were hammered 6-1 away at leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima in round seven.
- The headline reunion is Hotaru Yamaguchi, the 35-year-old defensive midfielder who came through Cerezo Osaka before spells at Hannover 96 and Vissel Kobe and a World Cup with Japan. His reading of the game and burst into tackles still drive quick transitions, and he once topped the league for interceptions. How far he can strangle his old club's build-up will shape Nagasaki's evening.
- Nagasaki's back three features another former Cerezo man: Ryosuke Shindo, 30, who manned the right side of Consadole Sapporo's back three and earned a Japan call-up. He is an attacking centre-back whose leap makes him a set-piece threat. Waiting on the bench is 187cm striker Ryogo Yamasaki, 33, also ex-Cerezo via Nagoya Grampus and Kyoto Sanga.
- This is a 3-4-2-1 mirror match, so the shadow strikers matter. Nagasaki pair Motoki Hasegawa, 27, an incisive final-ball provider shaped at Ventforet Kofu and Albirex Niigata, with Matheus Jesus, the 186cm left-footer voted J2 Player of the Year in 2025 after time at Corinthians and Gamba Osaka. Cerezo answer with 22-year-old Kosei Okazawa, only 165cm but tenacious, alongside Lucas Fernandes, a two-time J.League assist king.
- The centre-forwards make for a compelling contrast. Nagasaki's Thiago Santana, 33 and 184cm, honed his game in Portugal with Vitoria and Santa Clara before scoring in Japan for Shimizu S-Pulse and Urawa, and finishes sharply with his left foot. Cerezo's Solomon Sakuragawa is 190cm and 91kg, a JEF United academy product who sharpened his finishing at Fagiano Okayama and Yokohama FC. Behind them, 185cm Shinnosuke Hatanaka and 186cm Ikki Arai promise aerial duels all night.
- Cerezo's spine has an international flavour. Jackson Irvine has 81 caps and 14 goals for Australia, played at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and captained St. Pauli, giving them box-to-box drive. At right centre-back, Dion Cools won a league title with Club Brugge and represents Malaysia, using his 185cm frame in duels. Shunta Tanaka, 183cm, screens in front of them as the anchor.
- The goalkeeping match-up is intriguing too. Nagasaki's Masaaki Goto stands 190cm and once played every league match for three consecutive seasons at Montedio Yamagata, organising his line with strong communication. Cerezo's Kosuke Nakamura was in Japan's 2018 World Cup squad and returned to the J.League after Kashiwa Reysol and Portimonense, relying on reflex saves from close range for a side that has already shipped 11 goals.
- The flanks carry plenty of mileage. Nagasaki's left wing-back Hijiri Onaga, 31, returned to the club after Tokyo Verdy, Omiya Ardija and Machida Zelvia and delivers accurate left-footed crosses. Cerezo counter with Ayumu Ohata, 25, an AFC Champions League winner with Urawa, Paris Olympian and former OH Leuven man, plus Gamba Osaka youth graduate Hayato Okuda on the right. With Diego Pituca, ex-Santos and Kashima, and former Japan forward Yuto Iwasaki waiting on Nagasaki's bench, the substitutions should matter.