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FC Tokyo will welcome Shonan Bellmare to the Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium on Saturday for the first leg of their playoff tie in the J League Cup.
The visitors come into the game on the back of a goalless draw with Gamba Osaka in the J1 League on Tuesday. That stalemate left the Hiratsuka-based side in 14th place in the league table.
FC Tokyo also played out a goalless draw with Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last league game.
Shonan Bellmare secured their place in this round of the tournament by virtue of their second-place finish behind Urawa Red Diamonds in Group C. FC Tokyo's unbeaten group-stage campaign saw them top Group B.
FC Tokyo vs Shonan Bellmare Head-to-Head
FC Tokyo have 14 wins from their 23 games played while Shonan Bellmare have five wins. Four games have ended in a draw.
Their most recent meeting came in March when FC Tokyo picked up a 3-2 victory on home turf. Kyosuke Tagawa, Diego Oliviera and Tsuyoshi Watanabe all got on the scoresheet for the hosts.
Shonan Bellmare have shown a penchant for draws in recent weeks, with four of their last five games ending in a share of the spoils. The hosts have two wins in their last five games.
FC Tokyo form guide: D-L-W-D-W
Shonan Bellmare form guide: D-D-D-L-D
FC Tokyo vs Shonan Bellmare Team News
FC Tokyo
Four players have been ruled out for FC Tokyo through injury. Akihiro Hayashi, Ryoma Watanabe, Kazuya Konno and Hotaka Nakamura are all unavailable for selection.
Injuries: Akihiro Hayashi, Ryoma Watanabe, Kazuya Konno, Hotaka Nakamura
Suspension: none
Shonan Bellmare
The visitors have the duo of Daiki Hotta and Tarik Elyounoussi ruled out with injuries. There are no suspension worries for manager Bin Ukishima.
Injuries: Daiki Hotta, Tarik Elyounoussi
Suspension: none
FC Tokyo vs Shonan Bellmare Predicted XI
FC Tokyo Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Go Hatano (GK); Ryoya Ogawa, Masato Morishige, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Takumi Nakamura; Takuya Aoki, Shuto Abe; Kensuke Nagai, Yojiro Takahagi, Kyosuke Tagawa; Diego Oliveira
Shonan Bellmare Predicted XI (3-5-2): Kosei Tani (GK); Kazunari Ono, Hirokazu Ishihara, Koki Tachi; Satoshi Tanaka, Taiga Hata, Taiyo Hiraoka, Shintaro Nago, Takuya Okamoto; Wellington, Shuto Machino
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FC Tokyo vs Shonan Bellmare Prediction
The home side have been the more consistent side this term, although the knockout nature of this fixture means that Shonan Bellmare will fancy their chances.
With the second leg still to play, neither side is likely to go all out for goals and we could witness a cagey encounter of few goalscoring opportunities. We are predicting a narrow victory for FC Tokyo.
Prediction: FC Tokyo 1-0 Shonan Bellmare
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