Yokohama F·Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale have been the two most dominant teams in recent Meiji Yasuda J1 League history, and both need wins heading into Matchweek 6. That puts gargantuan pressure on these giants when they clash on Wednesday at 19:00 JST in a match that will be streamed live on JLeague.co.
Marinos and Frontale are both on six points and although the Tricolor do have a match in hand, they sit 10th and 11th in the table, respectively.
Frontale are at least moving in the right direction after an impressive 3-0 win over FC Tokyo last weekend. They got out on the front foot and their defense, which has been leaky in the early parts of the season, looked sturdy. It was a big leap for the team and allowed them to snap a three-match losing streak.
It was a major statement from Kawasaki, who appear to be clicking offensively. Erison is proving to be one of the signings of the season so far, but questions remain as to whether the rearguard can regularly keep clean sheets as they did last time out in the Tamagawa Clasico.
The center back duo of Jesiel and Kota Takai finally got to play together against FC Tokyo and probably not coincidentally they delivered the team’s first clean sheet of the campaign.
Holding up defensively against Marinos will be no easy feat, though. They feature last season’s joint Top Scorer in Anderson Lopes, who has been in outstanding form to start this season. His three goals, which ranks third in the league, understates how dangerous he’s been in 2024, leading a Tricolor attack that is as good as any in J1 at their best.
But, in defense, it's been a different story. Like Frontale, Marinos have been uneven at the back and were punished by Nagoya Grampus over the top and on the break. While it took two moments of brilliance to beat them, manager Harry Kewell will be watching the tape back and knowing there is much to sort out before a derby against Frontale.
Will they be able to correct those mistakes in short order? We'll find out in Yokohama on Wednesday night.
One thing's for sure: It should be an enthralling occasion at Nissan Stadium that you can watch live on JLeague.co or your domestic broadcaster!
