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Avispa Fukuoka will host Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Best Denki Stadium on Wednesday in the first leg of the J League Cup semifinals.
The hosts had mixed results in the group stage but managed a second-place finish two points behind group leaders Shonan Bellmare. They saw off Kashima Antlers in the first knockout round - winning on away goals - before beating Vissel Kobe 3-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Fukuoka have never won the domestic competition, with their best run coming in 2016 when they made the quarterfinals.
Hiroshima, meanwhile, enjoyed a solid group stage run, picking up four wins from six games to finish top of their group. They beat Hokkaido Consadole 4-1 on aggregate in the first knockout round before getting the better of Yokohama F. Marinos 5-2 in the second.
The visitors are also on the hunt for their first J League Cup title and will appear in the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since 2014.
Avispa Fukuoka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Head-to-Head
There have been 12 meetings between Fukuoka and Hiroshima. The hosts have won just two of those games, while Hiroshima have won six. There have been four draws between the two teams. The two teams last faced off in a league clash in June, which the Viola won 3-1.
Avispa Fukuoka Form Guide (All Competitions): W-L-D-L-L
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Form Guide (All Competitions): D-L-W-W-W
Avispa Fukuoka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Team News
Avispa Fukuoka
Yuya Yamagishi came off injured last time out and is a doubt for this one alongside Masato Yuzawa.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Yuya Yamagishi, Masato Yuzawa
Suspended: None
Unavailable None
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Shunki Higashi is out with an injury and will not play this week. All other players are fit and available for selection for manager Michael Skibbe.
Injured: Shunki Higashi
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Avispa Fukuoka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Predicted XIs
Avispa Fukuoka (4-4-2): Takumi Nagaishi; Yota Maejima, Douglas Grolli, Tatsuki Nara, Takaaki Shichi; Takeshi Kanamori, Hiroyuki Mae, Shun Nakamura, Jordy Croux; Juanma Delgado, Lukian
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (3-4-3): Keisuke Osako; Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki, Tsukasa Shiotani; Yoshifumi Kashiwa, Gakuto Notsuda, Taishi Matsumoto, Tomoya Fujii; Tsukasa Morishima; Nassim Ben Khalifa, Douglas Vieira
Avispa Fukuoka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Prediction
Fukuoka's latest result ended a seven-game winless streak across competitions and marked only their second victory in nine games.
Hiroshima, meanwhile, are on a run of back-to-back winless outings after winning their previous eight on the bounce. They are winless in their last two games on the road but should come out on top here.
Prediction: Avispa Fukuoka 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
