The international break is over and the Meiji Yasuda J1 League is ready to hit full steam this summer. That means it’s time for teams to make moves, beginning with FC Tokyo and Júbilo Iwata on Sunday at 18:00 JST when they meet in a match that will be streamed live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.
The capital club are in sixth place and part of a trio of teams all tied on 26 points. Just nine points off the top, they are very much in position to get into the thick of the title race if they can put forward a good run of form.
Next Gen J.League stars Kuryu Matsuki, Ryotaro Araki and Brandon Taishi Nozawa are all returning from Japan U-23 duty and the young core’s continued contributions alongside Young Player of the Month Kota Tawaratsumida could be just what they need to push up the table.
Júbilo don’t find themselves in the same part of the standings, sitting in 16th place and just four clear of the drop zone. They’ve scored plenty, thanks to Ryo Germain’s 11 goals, which rank second in the league, but the key will be sorting out a defense that has not kept a clean sheet since April 27.
If they can tighten things up there, they will find themselves well clear of the bottom three and into the mid-table pack.
There's a ton on the line in this match, so don't miss out - tune in on JLeague.co to catch this one live on Sunday!