🏏 Sun, 20 Sep 2026 17:00 JST
Machida Zelvia
vs
Kashiwa Reysol
3-4-2-1 vs 3-4-2-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Only two points separate these top-five sides. Machida Zelvia are second on 17 points from seven games, unbeaten at 5W 2D 0L with 19 scored and six conceded for a goal difference of plus 13, level on points with leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima but with a game in hand. Kashiwa Reysol are fifth on 15 points from seven, with five wins, two defeats and not a single draw.
- The underlying numbers tell different stories. Machida (W-D-W-W-D) won 3-1 away at Nagoya Grampus in round six and drew 1-1 at home with Yokohama F. Marinos in round seven, and six goals conceded in seven games is among the meanest records in the division. Kashiwa (W-W-L-L-W) lost 2-0 at Cerezo Osaka and 2-0 at home to Yokohama F. Marinos before winning a 3-2 shootout away at Kyoto Sanga, and their 13 goals scored against 10 conceded reflect that volatility.
- This is a mirror match: both managers have gone 3-4-2-1. With the midfield four and the back three matching up man for man across the pitch, the contest reduces to a series of individual duels, and the winner of the second-ball battle is likely to control the tempo.
- Kashiwa's left-sided centre-back Daiki Sugioka returns to a former club. The 28-year-old, who moved on to Shonan Bellmare and Kashima Antlers after his Machida spell, stands 182cm and pairs a sharp left foot with the ball-carrying drive to step out of defence. Labelled the best defender in Japanese high school football in his youth, he remains a strong one-on-one defender.
- Machida also have two men with Kashiwa history on the bench. Goalkeeper Tatsuya Morita, 36 and 191cm, nicknamed Jumbo, played for Kashiwa, Sagan Tosu, Matsumoto Yamaga and Albirex Niigata. Keiya Sento, 31, turned out for Kashiwa, Nagoya Grampus, Sagan Tosu, Yokohama F. Marinos and Kyoto Sanga, and is the sort of high-IQ passer who lubricates an attack late in games.
- Machida lead the line with the 197cm Tete Yengi. The 23-year-old Australian helped Livingston win promotion in Scotland and attacks crosses at a height few defenders can reach; his brother Kusini Yengi is an Australia international. Kashiwa answer with the 182cm Taiyo Koga, 27, in the middle of their back three, flanked by the 181cm Seiya Baba, 24, and Sugioka.
- Machida's pair of shadow strikers is the real problem. Yuki Soma, 29, is only 166cm but cuts inside with sharp dribbling and delivers accurate crosses, having played for Nagoya Grampus, Casa Pia in Portugal and Kashima Antlers as well as for Japan. Koki Ogawa, 29, is a 186cm centre-forward by trade who scored 26 goals to win the J2 MVP award at Yokohama FC and then found the net regularly in the Eredivisie. Height and speed in the same second line is an awkward combination for a back three.
- The central midfield battle is just as interesting. Machida's destroyer is Hiroyuki Mae, 31, who captained Avispa Fukuoka for five seasons, alongside Ryohei Shirasaki, 33, with 176 J1 appearances and 21 goals to his name. Kashiwa pair Atsuaki Nakagawa, 24, dubbed the Japanese De Bruyne and named 2024 Denso Cup MVP, with the 185cm Koki Kumasaka, 25, who was called up by Japan in 2025 and returned from an ACL rupture to play a full match against Tokyo Verdy on 14 August 2026, his first in 446 days.
- The wing-back duels should be lively. Machida use the 192cm Henry Mochizuki, 25, a Japan call-up whose long throw travels close to 50 metres, and Hotaka Nakamura, 29, a former FC Tokyo full-back who thrives in one-on-one defending. Kashiwa counter with Keita Endo, 28, a J1 champion with Yokohama F. Marinos who also played for Union Berlin, on the left, and the 167cm Tojiro Kubo, 27, who worked his way up after 10 goals and six assists at Fujieda MYFC.
- Both benches offer game-changers. Machida can introduce Takuma Nishimura, 29, who scored 10 goals in 27 league games for Yokohama F. Marinos and spent time at CSKA Moscow, the 187cm Australia international Mitchell Duke, 35, and 18-year-old Fuuta Tokumura, a double national high school champion. Kashiwa hold back academy graduate and Japan forward Mao Hosoya, 25, timed at six seconds over 50 metres, and Riki Harakawa, 33, whose free kicks from around 30 metres regularly find the target.