Cherry blossoms outside a wet Nihondaira Stadium
The sixth round of the J.
League throws up two significant clashes, with the eleventh Tokyo derby
competing for headlines along with the eternal classic between Urawa Reds and
Kashima Antlers.
Fallen giants Tokyo Verdy
host their Ajinomoto Stadium co-tenants FC Tokyo on April 12, with Verdy having
only just registered their first win in the satta king chart since winning promotion back to the top flight.
They won away at Vissel Kobe in Round 5 thanks to 18-year-old Hiroki Kawano's
volley, but it is the return of striker Hulk that could prove key to Verdy's
chances of maintaining their top flight status.
The 21-year-old Brazilian
propelled Tokyo Verdy to promotion by scoring 37 league goals in 42 appearances
in J2 last season, but after failing to settle at Kawasaki Frontale, Hulk has
made a permanent switch across the Tama River for a reputed fee of around 500
million yen.
On Sunday the highlight
clash of the day undoubtedly takes place at Saitama Stadium, when bitter rivals
Urawa Reds host defending J. League champions Kashima Antlers.
There is plenty of history
between these two clubs, but another chapter was added on an extraordinary
final day last season when Kashima pipped Urawa to the post to lift the league
trophy in thrilling circumstances.
The Reds will be aching
for revenge against their arch-nemesis, although they will have their work cut
out for them against a Kashima side that has won all five of their league
fixtures at a canter this season.
In other highlight Round 6
fixtures, Consadole Sapporo look to crack their first home win of the season in
the league when they host Jubilo Iwata at the Sapporo Dome, struggling JEF
United welcome Omiya Ardija to the Fukuda Denshi Arena, Tokai rivals Shimizu
S-Pulse and Nagoya Grampus face off at Nihondaira Stadium, while there's a
Kansai derby between Kyoto Sanga FC and Vissel Kobe at what will be a packed
Nishikyogoku Stadium in Kyoto.
Relegated Sanfrecce
Hiroshima lead the way in J2, although they are level on points with Sagan Tosu
as the early jostling for promotion places kicks off in earnest. Yokohama FC
and Vegalta Sendai are hot on their heels, but it has been a disappointing
start for Pierre Littbarski's Avispa Fukuoka, with the Kyushu outfit currently
lying in ninth following their latest 3-1 loss away at Tokushima Vortis.
This weekend Fukuoka host
newcomers FC Gifu at Hakata no Mori, while the other highlight clashes see
Vegalta Sendai take on Tokushima Vortis, Shonan Bellmare welcome relegated
Ventforet Kofu to Hiratsuka, while there's a clash of the big guns when
Sanfrecce Hiroshima take on Cerezo Osaka at Big Arch Stadium in Hiroshima.
AFC Champions League
Kashima Antlers look set
to cruise beyond the group stage of the AFC Champions League, after the Ibaraki
side maintained their one hundred percent record with a 1-0 victory over
Beijing Guoan FC on April 9.
Former Sao Paulo
midfielder Danilo scored the only goal of the game as Kashima notched up their
third straight win in the competition, although there was a blow for coach
Oswaldo de Oliveira as Japan international Atsuto Uchida was forced to leave
the field with a back injury late in the second half.
Meanwhile a last-minute
winner from substitute Lucas Severino saw Gamba Osaka beat Melbourne Victory
4-3 in a thriller watched by 23,857 fans at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne.
The A-League side raced
out to an early lead through Danny Allsopp, however Gamba pegged back the hosts
thanks to goals from long-range specialist Takahiro Futagawa and the predatory
Bare.
There was controversy when
Gamba captain Satoshi Yamaguchi appeared to be fouled in the build-up to
Melbourne's equaliser - which Roddy Vargas headed home, and Bare then had a
goal ruled out after officials judged that his header had not crossed the line
after bouncing down off the crossbar.
Melbourne retook the lead
midway through the second half through the ubiquitous Allsopp, but Gamba roared
back as Yamaguchi equalised with a trademark header. The stage was set for a winner,
and Gamba duly conjured it as teenager Michihiro Yasuda crossed for substitute
Lucas Severino to head home in the final minute.
The victory leaves Gamba
three points clear of Chonburi FC at the top of Group G, with Melbourne Victory
and Chunnam Dragons both locked on three points at the bottom of the group.
The next round of fixtures
scheduled to take place on April 23.
Japan National Team
Japan slumped to a 1-0
defeat in hot and humid conditions in Bahrain on March 26, in their second
qualifying game for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Takashi Okada spared
Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura the trip to the Middle-East, while Urawa Reds
striker Naohiro Takahara picked up an injury on the eve of the match.
Their absences failed to
mask a desperately poor showing from the Blue Samurai, with many questioning
why not a single Kashima Antlers player was used despite the Ibaraki side
lifting last season's J. League trophy.
Japan now turn their
attention to the annual Kirin Cup, where they will face the Ivory Coast at
Toyota Stadium on May 24, before taking on Paraguay at Saitama Stadium three
days later. Their World Cup campaign resumes on June 2 when they take on Oman
in Yokohama.
Japanese players overseas
Takayuki
Morimoto : Catania
19-year-old Takayuki
Morimoto has spent most of the Serie A season on the sidelines through injury,
but the former Tokyo Verdy starlet could feature in Catania's upcoming Sicilian
derby away at Palermo.
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto :
Salzburg
Former Japan captain
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto will miss the rest of the Austrian season after tearing his
hamstring in two during a training session with his club Salzburg. Miyamoto's
side are just a point behind Rapid Vienna, despite suffering a recent 7-0 home
thrashing at the hands of their league leading rivals.
Makoto
Hasebe : VfL Wolfsburg
Ex-Urawa Reds midfielder
Makoto Hasebe has found his opportunities limited at an-inform VfL Wolfsburg,
where he continues to battle for a place in Wolfsburg's cosmopolitan midfield
with Paraguayan international Johnathan Santana.
Shinji Ono : VfL Bochum
After making an excellent
start to his Bundesliga career, the highly-experienced Shinji Ono has since
struggled in a Bochum jersey. He came off the bench in Bochum's recent 3-3 draw
with local rivals Borussia Dortmund, but did not feature in Bochum's subsequent
defeat away at Bayern Munich.
Takayuki Suzuki : Portland
Timbers
Former Japan international Takayuki Suzuki has signed for second-tier US side Portland Timbers. After a failed spell at Red Star Belgrade, the lanky Suzuki was equally disappointing at Yokohama F. Marinos last season, where he featured in just three games.
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