Yokohama F. Marinos will look to return to winning ways when they host Kashima Antlers in the J1 League. The defending champions have started the season on a bit low and have failed to take the early season momentum. Kashima Antlers, on the other hand, are sitting just above their opponents and are level on points with them. As both teams look for three points, we take a look at some of the stats that could predict the outcome of the match.
The home team started the season with back-to-back wins. They drew their third match and lost the previous match away from home. Yokohama F. Marinos have netted five goals and conceded four. They average 1.17 xG and the xGA rate is quite high at 1.81 per match.
Kashima Antlers also started their campaign with a win. They lost their second match but managed to collect four points in the last two games. The team has scored six goals and averages 1.25 xG per match. Their defence has leaked three goals and have an average xGA rate of 1.13.
Yokohama F. Marinos’s early season struggles
The major reason why the defending champions have failed to take the early season momentum is their low efficiency in the attacks. They average 27 positional attacks and two counterattacks per match. Yokohama F. Marinos have one of the lowest efficiencies in all these departments.
Kashima Antlers, on the other hand, create 29.5 positional attacks and 2.25 counterattacks per match. They have also struggled with the efficiency in positional attacks, but have shown decency with their counterattacks.
Yokohama F. Marinos have attempted 36 shots in four matches. They average nine shots per match and have an accuracy rate of 47.2%. By looking at the above viz we can observe that Marinos have managed to hit the target from in front of the goal. However, they have failed to take shots and pressurize their opponents.
Kashima Antlers have taken 47 shots and an average of 11.75 shots per match. They have a low accuracy rate of 25.5%. The visitors have struggled to hit the target from a close range and that is why the conversion rate and accuracy rate is low for them.
Key players
Elber has made the most goal contributions for Yokohama F. Marinos in the current season. The 30-year-old Brazilian attacker has one goal and two assists to his name in the J1 League. He features on the left side and likes to deliver passes into the penalty box. Of the six shots assists, two have resulted in a goal. He will look to create and score more goals for his side.
Yuma Suzuki has made the most contributions to Kashima Antlers. He has scored a goal and has two assists to his name. These stats are similar to Elber’s stats. However, the player has three shot-assists, and all came from different positions on the field. Suzuki will look to find spaces in the Yokohama F. Marinos’ defence.
Betting analysis
According to the 1×2 betting odds, Yokohama F. Marinos are the favourites to win the match. They have an odds of 1.86 to win the match. Kashima Antlers have an odds rate of 3.8 to win the match. As per the over/under lines, the under lines are expected to thrive as this is expected to be a tight game.
Both teams have shown a bit of inconsistency in front of the goal. This is a must-win match and will be helpful in giving them early momentum in the league. Both teams will only eye three points.
Visuals via Wyscout and the TFA data viz engine
