Vissel Kobe v Nagoya Grampus Eight

Vissel Kobe vs Nagoya Grampus Preview

Vissel Kobe gained a point on their travels away from home at Consadole Sapporo in a 1-1 draw in last week's J-League action and the hosts now return to their NOEVIR Stadium Kobe where they will be keen to extend their unbeaten run in the domestic top flight to five games, while Nagoya Grampus halted a previously miserable seven-match winless run in the Japanese top flight by recording a welcome 2-1 home win against Kashiwa Reysol which maintained the visitors' mid-table position of 11th place.

As for Vissel Kobe, last season's J-League title winners currently occupy third place in this season's standings and trail second placed Gamba Osaka by a three-point margin so this upcoming fixture on home soil against Nagoya Grampus becomes an important one to win for Takayuki Yoshida's side.

The bigger picture shows Vissel Kobe have been dealt just three defeats within their last 13 league matches overall which have been at the hands of Kashima Antlers, Tokyo Verdy and Gamba Osaka whilst collecting seven wins but recent results have been fairly indifferent for the hosts.

Indeed, Vissel Kobe have managed to collect just three wins from their last nine games so perhaps the straight win markets should be avoided but the goals market appeals as five of these last nine games have resulted in both teams scoring.

Nagoya Grampus will have been mightily relieved to have secured all three points in last week's 2-1 victory over Kashiwa Reysol having previously failed to win any of their preceding seven games overall.

Within this poor sequence of results, Nagoya Grampus had slumped to five defeats as they slipped up against the likes of Kawasaki Frontale, Tokyo Verdy, Urawa Reds, Cerezo Osaka and Machida Zelvia respectively.

With just one win in their last eight matches then, it may also be best to avoid any other markets other than the goals option, particularly as five of Nagoya Grampus' last eight league matches have also produced goals for both teams in previous encounters in the J-League.

The bigger picture shows the visitors have managed to claim just four wins from their last 14 fixtures in the domestic top flight which also includes being handed eight defeats, so the prospects are not looking too bright for Kenta Hasegawa's side here on Saturday, especially as Nagoya Grampus have lost their last four away games on the trot.

However, Nagoya Grampus have scored in eight of their last 10 outings on the road and this should be enough for the visitors to at least contribute to the scoreline in this upcoming fixture.

Vissel Kobe v Nagoya Grampus Verdict

Recent results have been pretty ordinary for both Vissel Kobe and Nagoya Grampus but both look capable of scoring in what could end up being a score-draw.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 2.05

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.70

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 7.00