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Vissel Kobe will host Avispa Fukuoka at the Misaki Park Stadium on Wednesday in the first leg of their J League Cup playoff tie.
The Ushi have had a league campaign to forget this season and will be desperate for some better luck in the cup competition. They were beaten 1-0 by Kashiwa Reysol in their last outing and will be looking to bounce back from that this week.
Vissel Kobe have never won the domestic cup, with their best-ever run being a semifinal finish in 2015. They were knocked out by the Urawa Reds at this stage of the competition last season and will be looking to do better this year.
Avispa Fukuoka shook off their shaky start to the group stages to pick up two wins and a draw in their final three games and clinch second place in the group. They then faced the Kashima Antlers in their first knockout game, advancing on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate scoreline.
The visitors were knocked out in the group stages of the competition last season and will be pleased with how well they have performed this year.
Vissel Kobe vs Avispa Fukuoka Head-to-Head
The midweek clash will mark the 10th meeting between Vissel Kobe and Avispa Fukuoka. The hosts were undefeated in their previous nine matchups, winning four times and drawing the other five, including their most recent meeting which ended goalless.
Vissel Kobe Form Guide (All Competitions): L-D-W-W-W
Avispa Fukuoka Form Guide (All Competitions): L-D-W-W-W
Vissel Kobe vs Avispa Fukuoka Team News
Vissel Kobe
Former Newcastle man Yoshinori Muto picked up an injury against the Kashima Antlers and could miss out on this one. Noriaki Fujimoto and Sergi Samper are both injured and will miss out on the game.
Injured: Noriaki Fujimoto, Sergi Samper
Doubtful: Yoshinori Muto
Suspended: None
Avispa Fukuoka
With Yota Maejima returning to full fitness, the visitors now boast a clean bill of health ahead of their midweek game.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Vissel Kobe vs Avispa Fukuoka Predicted XI
Vissel Kobe Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Hiroki Iikura; Tetsushi Yamakawa, Ryuho Kikuchi, Yuki Kobayashi, Gotoku Sakai; Hotaru Yamaguchi, Yuya Nakasaka; Yutaro Oda, Andres Iniesta, Koya Yuruki; Stefan Mugosa
Avispa Fukuoka Predicted XI (4-4-2): Takumi Nagaishi; Yota Maejima, Douglas Grolli, Tatsuki Nara, Takaaki Shichi; Tatsuya Tanaka, Hiroyuki Mae, Shun Nakamura, Jordy Croux; Yuya Yamagishi, Lukian
Vissel Kobe vs Avispa Fukuoka Prediction
Vissel Kobe's latest result ended a five-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and they will be looking to bounce back on Wednesday. They have lost just two of their last eight games on home turf and will hope to maximize their home advantage this week.
Avispa Fukuoka also saw their five-game unbeaten run come to an end last time out. They have had mixed results on the road of late and could clinch a draw here.
Prediction: Vissel Kobe 1-1 Avispa Fukuoka
