Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Shonan Bellmare Prediction and Betting Tips

Sanfrecce Hiroshima will host Shonan Bellmare at the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima on Sunday in the second leg of the quarterfinals of the 2025 Japanese J.League Cup campaign. The hosts will be desperate to get a win and turn the tie around after losing the first leg.

Sanfrecce were elated to pick up an equalizer in the 86th minute but failed to keep the score even, conceding again in the 92nd minute to see them lose Wednesday's first leg 3-2. Hiroshima, who won the cup title for the first and only time in 2022, were touted as favorites to advance to the semifinals based on their impressive standing in the domestic league and will remain optimistic to overturn the one-goal deficit in front of their home fans.

Shonan’s midweek win marked their first victory after an abysmal 10-game winless streak across all competitions dating back to early June and will leave the side hoping to build momentum in the return leg. The 2018 J.League Cup winners are sat in the relegation zone in the Japanese top flight with six games to go and will deem a place in the semifinals of the cup as a silver lining in an otherwise gloomy season.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Shonan Bellmare Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

Sunday's fixture will mark the 50th meeting between these two sides. Sanfrecce have won 27 of the previous 49 meetings, nine have ended in draws while Shonan have won the remaining 13.
The sides are evenly matched in recent meetings with four wins each and two draws across their last 10 meetings.
Hiroshima currently have the best defensive record in the J1 League having conceded only 20 goals all season.
Shonan have the joint-third worst offensive and the second worst defensive record in the Japanese top flight with 26 goals scored and 47 conceded across 28 games played so far.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Shonan Bellmare Prediction

The hosts remain favorites to get a win going into the weekend despite losing the first leg but will need to be at their best to overturn their one-goal deficit in normal time.

Shonan will hope to force a draw which would see them progress to the semifinals but will need to improve on their poor defensive record to achieve that and may need to rely on penalties to advance.

Prediction: Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 Shonan Bellmare

Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Shonan Bellmare Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Hiroshima to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Five of the visitors' last seven games have produced more than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes (Both teams have gotten on the scoresheet in five of the visitors’ last seven 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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