'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
J League football returns this weekend after a three-week hiatus and will see the Urawa Reds host Nagoya Grampus at the Saitama Stadium 2002 on Saturday.
Urawa Reds have struggled for form in the league this season and currently sit perilously close to the drop zone. They played out a goalless draw against Avispa Fukuoka in their last game and perhaps deserved more from the game given their dominance on the day.
The hosts sit 14th in the league standings with just 15 points from 16 games. They will be looking to return to winning ways in the league when they play this weekend.
Nagoya Grampus have hit a good spell of late after a shaky start to the season. They were beaten 1-0 by Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last league game but shook that off to carry out an aggregate 7-1 trouncing of Kyoto Sanga in the J League Cup playoffs last time out.
The visitors sit 10th in the table with 20 points from 16 games. They will be looking to continue their strong run when they face the Reds on Saturday.
Urawa Reds vs Nagoya Grampus Head-to-Head
There have been 37 meetings between Urawa Reds and Nagoya Grampus. The hosts have won 17 of those games while the visitors have won 13 times. There have been seven draws between the two teams, including their most recent meeting which ended goalless.
Urawa Reds Form Guide: D-L-D-D-D
Nagoya Grampus Form Guide: L-W-W-W-L
Urawa Reds vs Nagoya Grampus Team News
Urawa Reds
Tomoya Inukai and former Olympique Marseille defender Hiroki Sakai are both injured and are not expected to play on Saturday.
Injured: Tomoya Inukai, Hiroki Sakai
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Nagoya Grampus
Australia international goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak remains out with injury and will not play this weekend. Jakub Swierczok and Kazuki Nagasawa are both out with injuries as well and will miss out while Yutaka Yoshida is a doubt.
Injured: Mitchell Langerak, Jakub Swierczok, Kazuki Nagasawa
Doubtful: Yutaka Yoshida
Suspended: None
Urawa Reds vs Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI
Urawa Reds Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Shushaku Nishikawa; Ayumu Ohata, Takuya Iwanami, Alexander Scholz, Yuta Miyamoto; Ken Iwao, Atsuki Ito; Takahiro Akimoto, Yoshio Koizumi, Takahiro Sekine; Kasper Junker
Nagoya Grampus Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Yohei Takeda; Yuichi Maruyama, Haruya Fujii, Shinnosuke Nakatani; Yuki Soma, Leo Silva, Sho Inagaki, Ryoya Morishita; Keiya Sento, Mateus; Noriyoshi Sakai
$50 Risk-Free Bet + up to $1,000 Deposit Match at DraftKings SB
Urawa Reds vs Nagoya Grampus Prediction
Urawa Reds are winless in their last nine league games with eight of those ending in draws. They have, however, lost just one home game across all competitions this season and will be looking to maximize their home advantage this weekend.
Nagoya Grampus are on a three-game winning streak and have won all but one of their last eight across all competitions. They are in much better form than their hosts and should win this one.
Prediction: Urawa Reds 1-2 Nagoya Grampus
