Machida Zelvia v Avispa Fukuoka

Machida Zelvia vs Avispa Fukuoka Preview

Machida Zelvia registered an impressive 3-1 win away from home at Yokohama F. Marinos last weekend which also helped maintain the upcoming hosts' position at the top of the Japanese top flight table where they hold a two-point cushion over second placed Kashima Antlers, while Avispa Fukuoka helped lift themselves up into seventh place in the J-League standings after recording a solid 2-0 home win against Sagan Tosu.

This is Machida Zelvia's first ever season in the domestic top flight following automatic promotion from J-League 2 at the end of last season where they also won the second tier league title by a 12-point margin over fellow-promoted Jubilo Iwata, and the newcomers are certainly making an impact in this season's J-League campaign as well.

12 wins within their 18 matches played to date in the J-League has lifted Go Kuroda's side up into pole position in the table but Machida Zelvia have also been handed three of their four losses to date this term on home soil at their Machida Gion Stadium, following defeats at the hands of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Vissel Kobe and Albirex Niigata respectively.

The hosts will therefore be keen to tighten things up at the back in this upcoming fixture where Kuroda's side will be hoping they can take the spoils.

Avispa Fukuoka made it three wins on the trot in the J-League after recording a solid 2-0 home win against Sagan Tosu which followed previous wins against the likes of Albirex Niigata and Kashiwa Reysol, both of which were achieved on their travels.

After making a slow and sluggish start to this new J-League campaign with just one win under their belts from their opening five games, that being a 1-0 win at Yokohama F. Marinos but also slipping to defeats to FC Tokyo and Urawa Reds, Avispa Fukuoka have turned things around in subsequent months.

The visitors have been dealt just two further defeats in their subsequent 13 league matches and this improved sequence of results include collecting six wins in the process, three of which have been registered away from home.

An earlier 3-2 win on the road at Kyoto Sanga has helped Shigetoshi Hasebe's side win four out of their eight away games to date this season, while five of the visitors' eight away games to date have also resulted in Under 2.5 goals being scored as well.

Machida Zelvia v Avispa Fukuoka Verdict

Goals may come at a premium here at the Machida Gion Stadium between Machida Zelvia and Avispa Fukuoka as three out of the last four meetings have produced just two goals or less and with both teams looking to further cement their positions in the top half of the table, they may cancel each other out here.

Therefore, our main bet will be Under 2.5 goals @ 1.53

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.40

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 7.00