Machida Zelvia vs Kashima Antlers Prediction and Betting Tips

Machida Zelvia will host Kashima Antlers at the Machida Stadium on Saturday in the 21st round of the 2025 J1 League campaign. The hosts will be hoping to get a result and move higher up the league table after having a rough couple of months.

Machida’s Sang-Ho Na netted an 83rd-minute winner to get all three points in their 2-1 win over Shonan Bellmare last weekend, marking their eighth league win of the season. Zelvia have struggled in the league recently with only two wins in their previous 10 outings and will hope to build on Saturday's win and move closer to the continental qualification spots.

Kashima Antlers needed a 92nd-minute equalizer to salvage a 1-1 draw when they hosted Sanfrecce Hiroshima last time out, allowing second-placed Kashiwa Reysol to close down the gap to four points. The visitors, who remain in first place with 41 points, have only lost one of their last 10 league games and will hope to continue in like fashion when they take the trip to Tokyo.

Machida Zelvia vs Kashima Antlers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

The sides have only met on five previous occasions going into the weekend. Machida won two of those games, while Kashima won the remaining three.
Kashima won the first leg of this fixture 1-0 earlier this season.
The hosts have scored only five goals across their previous meetings with the Antlers and have conceded eight goals in that period.
Machida have conceded as many goals as they have scored in the league (24) after 20 games this season.
Kashima have the joint-third-best offensive and second-best defensive record in the league with 30 goals scored and 16 conceded after 20 games played.

Machida Zelvia vs Kashima Antlers Prediction

Zelvia will need to be at their best to get all three points this weekend and are unlikely to receive any boost from their home advantage as they currently have the worst home record in the league.

Kashima will be confident to get a result on Saturday thanks to their much better recent form, but will need to ensure they are not complacent to avoid a surprise defeat.

Prediction: Machida Zelvia 1-2 Kashima Antlers

Machida Zelvia vs Kashima Antlers Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Kashima Antlers to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Seven of the hosts' last eight games have featured more than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes (Both teams have gotten on the scoresheet in four of the hosts' last five games)

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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