Iwate Grulla Morioka are hoping to win again after their last result, a 1-0 J. League Cup triumph vs Tochigi S.C.

It has been a rare occasion in recent games where Iwate Grulla Morioka have managed to hold out for a full 90 minutes. It will be a concern for them that Iwate Grulla Morioka have seen their defence breached in 5 of their previous 6 games, giving up 14 goals during that time. That sort of pattern isn’t assured to be continued into this match, however.

Cerezo Osaka head into the encounter following on from a 1-0 J1 League win against Kawasaki Frontale in their most recent outing.

In that game, Cerezo Osaka managed 44% possession and 14 attempts on goal with 5 of them on target. The only player on the scoresheet for Cerezo Osaka was Léo Ceará (70\'). Kawasaki Frontale got 14 shots on goal with 5 of them on target.

In their previous six outings, Cerezo Osaka have bagged the sum of 9 goals. Cerezo Osaka have also managed to score on each one of those occasions. During that period, their defenders have seen 2 goals go into their own net.

Team News: Iwate Grulla Morioka

The Iwate Grulla Morioka manager doesn’t have any fitness worries whatsoever coming into this clash thanks to a fully healthy squad available to choose from.

Team News: Cerezo Osaka

Cerezo Osaka manager Akio Kogiku has not got a full squad to pick from. Shinnosuke Kinoshita (Hamstring muscle injury) and Ryosuke Shindo (Hamstring injury) miss out here.

Prediction

We’re thinking that Iwate Grulla Morioka must be fancied to breach the defence of this Cerezo Osaka team, although one goal likely won’t be enough to prevent defeat.
We can see a 1-2 winning score for Cerezo Osaka when the full-time whistle blows. Let’s wait and see how it plays out.