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Tokyo will entertain Cerezo Osaka at the Ajinomoto Stadium in the J1 League on Saturday. The hosts have won five of their 18 league games thus far and are 18th in the league table. Osaka have eight wins from 20 games and are eighth in the standings.
The capital club have endured a poor run of form and have suffered four consecutive defeats across all competitions. They have failed to score for the third match in a row in their previous outing, as they suffered a 3-0 away loss to Kyoto Sanga last month.
Sakura are unbeaten in their last three league games and registered a 4-2 win over Shimizu S-Pulse earlier this month. After a 4-0 loss against Yokohama in the J League Cup playoffs second leg last week, they bounced back with a 5-0 home win over Arterivo Wakayama in the Emperor's Cup on Wednesday.
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Tokyo vs Cerezo Osaka Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 53 times in all competitions. They have contested these meetings closely, with the visitors having a narrow 20-19 lead in wins and 14 games ending in draws.
- They last met in the reverse fixture in April and played out a 1-1 draw.
- The capital club are unbeaten in their last five meetings against the visitors, playing out three draws.
- Tokyo have seen conclusive results in their last eight games, suffering five losses.
- Osaka have won just one of their last four away games, failing to score in three.
- Four of the last seven meetings between them have produced under 2.5 goals.
- Osaka have won just one of their last 12 league meetings against the hosts, with that triumph registered away from home in 2023.
Tokyo vs Cerezo Osaka Prediction
The hosts have lost their last four games, conceding 10 goals while scoring just twice. They have won three of their last nine league games, with two registered at home. They are unbeaten in their last five games in this fixture, keeping three clean sheets.
Sakura have lost just one of their last seven league games in all competitions. Interestingly, they have scored at least four goals in three of their four games in June and will look to build on that form.
The hosts have suffered four consecutive defeats, which is a cause for concern. With that in mind and considering Osaka's recent goalscoring form, we back the visitors to register a narrow win.
Prediction: Tokyo 1-2 Cerezo Osaka
Tokyo vs Cerezo Osaka Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Cerezo Osaka to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
