Vissel Kobe are still sitting atop the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, but recent weeks have not been kind to them and they are desperately in need of a return to their best form. That begins on Saturday at 7 pm JST when they take on Cerezo Osaka in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.

The Ushi fell to Sanfrecce Hiroshima last week and have only won one of their last four contests. That stretch has left them just one point clear atop the league and has left them a mad dash for the title with seven matches to play.

Fortunately for Vissel, they have Yuya Osako to lead them. He’s been as good as ever, maintaining his lead atop the J1 scoring chart, and Cerezo will be hard-pressed to deal with the forward. The Sakura are an excellent defensive team, though, and despite being down in sixth place, they are only seven points off Vissel in the table. With those stakes and the quality on offer, this is going to be a match you’re going to want to watch.

The J.League announced that up to four matches will be streamed live each week for the 2023 season, bringing one of Asia’s top league’s to fans around the world. The streams will be free to view on the J.League International YouTube channel in any country that does not have an existing rights agreement.