Kashiwa Reysol vs Consadole Sapporo Predictions

• Kashiwa Reysol were champions of the J2 league last season, winning by five points.
• Consadole Sapporo finished in 10th place in J1 last season, having a season of mediocrity.
• Kashiwa Reysol scored 85 goals last season, almost two a game and conceded only 33 goals in 42 matches.
• Sapporo scored 54 goals last season, an average of 1.58 goals per game and conceded 49 times, 1.44 times per game on average.

Can Kashiwa enjoy a winning start to their first season back in J1?

Kashiwa Reysol were the runaway winners of J2 last season, winning 25 of their 42 games an only experiencing defeat eight times. They scored 85 goals, at least 14 more than anyone else but this stat is slightly skewed by their incredible 13-1 win over Kyoto on the final day of last season.

They found J2 easy but now face a tough test in stepping up to J1 and experiencing the same success. They’ve been able to keep the core of their squad together though, including Michael Olunga, who finished the season last year with 27 goals. His partnership with Cristiano, who scored 19 himself, will be vital to Reysol fortunes this season.

Will Consadole experience another mediocre season or step up?

Consadole Sapporo had a middling season last year, never really escaping midtable but never being in danger of relegation. They won 13 win but lost 14 and never really got going despite some decent results along the way. They need to add some more consistency to their game if they want to challenge the teams at the top this season.

Sapporo scored 54 goals last season, a good amount that matched Kashima Antlers, who finished in third place and they have Musashi Suzuki and Jay Bothroyd to thank for a large portion of those with the two striking up a decent partnership. The side conceded as many as the teams that were relegated to J2 however and will need to have a much more impressive season in their own half to succeed.

Which side takes the points this weekend?

Much can be said of Kashiwa Reysol’s season last year and if they can keep that momentum rolling into this season then they don’t really have a ceiling in how high they can finish. They will be targeting a top half finish this year and we think they will get off to a good start on opening weekend as we back them to pick up the win.

This season won’t be easy for either of these teams but we see Sapporo struggling to even make midtable this year whilst we expect big things from Kashiwa as they make their J1 comeback. We expect their win to be a relatively simple one, especially with home advantage and think they pick up a 2-0 win.