Meiji Yasuda J1 League Match-day 13 will take place on August 29 and 30.

Kawasaki Frontale seek to arise from the two winless runs, as they host Shimizu S-Pulse at the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium this Saturday. Despite the record, Kawasaki proved its sharpness with an unyielding late equalizer against Vissel Kobe during the mid-week fixture, whilst budding youngsters with the likes of Reo Hatate’s improvement was the silver lining for Frontale amid the congested fixture. Meanwhile, Shimizu head east with an impending need for defensive rectification that cost them two games and seven goals.

Cerezo Osaka depart Yanmar Stadium Nagai, buoyed by the latest victory against Vegalta Sendai, after a mind-boggling defeat to Frontale. Hiroshi Kiyotake, with a goal to his name last week, will be the household name for Cerezo’s journey to Yokohama, whilst his counterpart, Yusuke Minagawa sharpens his blades, bagging two goals in the past two games. The host has been undefeated for the previous three fixtures, with the return to back-four proving to be the solution for them.

Nagoya Grampus travel north to face Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, following a narrow victory against Kawasaki last week. The consistent nimble attacking display and solid defense will be crucial for Nagoya’s mission to accomplish third consecutive league wins at the Sapporo Dome, where the fortress is on the verge of a breakdown. Sapporo suffered another heavy defeat mid-week at the Nissan Stadium, aggravating its winless run to five. Hokkaido manager, Mihailo Petrović’s time ticks as the Serbian seeks to repair the fractured defense that cost them 26 goals, by far the most in the league.

FC Tokyo leave the capital to pit against Gamba Osaka as it wishes to brush off from the regretful home defeat (1-2 Kashima Antlers) this Wednesday. Pressures lie on the top performer, Leonardo, to pull Tokyo’s good form on track from its first deviation in the last five outings. Gamba dropped to seventh on the ladder after garnering just a single point in the last two fixtures. A high-level of concentration is demanded from the black and blue, who failed to bring home the three points with an injury-time concession.

Kashiwa Reysol’s goalless draw with Oita Trinita last week saw both sides sharing the spoils, as the rugged Kenyan forward, Olunga failed to extend his traits as the marksman. Being responsible for half of Kashiwa’s total goals scored this season, the former Girona FC player will be on the center stage during the fixture. Contrastingly, their counterpart, Kashima Antlers make a fresh entry to the Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium with a victory over at the capital city on Wednesday. However, more goals are needed from the Brazilian duo, Juan Alano and Everaldo, if Kashima wish to replicate their jovial victory mid-week.

Vissel Kobe’s weekend fixture against Yokohama F. Marinos is the island’s ‘Clash of the Titans’. The last season Emperor’s Cup winner, Kobe will house J1 League champ F. Marinos at the Noevir Stadium Kobe. Both sides’ recent resurgence in the league is a positive sign for the fans highly anticipating for this Saturday’s clash. The ‘Community Shield replay’s outcome may well depend on the foot of each team’s Brazilian forwards, Douglas and Júnior Santos.

Urawa Reds’ winning streak came to a halt as Thorsten Fink’s side surged from their recent poor performances. Improved showing is highly demanded from Urawa’s forwards, albeit Thomas Deng’s magnificent consolation, if they seek to reclaim their last league silverware in 2006. Visitors, Oita Trinita arrive at Saitama Stadium 2002 with five points in their bag from the past three games. With only a goal behind their net from those games, the solid defensive display will again be paramount for this week’s outing.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s fragmented defense inflicted three goals in each of their past two outings, with their last win coming on as far as three weeks ago. A robust defensive display is the first assignment for Hiroshima. Meanwhile, their counterpart, Vegalta Sendai’s state of affairs isn’t any better, with no wins in the last two games. Vegalta currently sits 15th on the ladder, just two spots above the relegation zone, if it were to be enforced. More goals are needed from the forwards as Vegalta struggles to find the net.

The match between Shonan Bellmare and Sagan Tosu has been postponed due to confirmed positive COVID-19 cases among the Tosu players and staff.