Urawa Red Diamonds v Kashima Antlers

Urawa Reds vs Kashima Antlers Preview

Urawa Reds were dealt a disappointing 2-1 defeat away from home at Cerezo Osaka in last weekend's J-League action which made it four games without a win for Per-Mathias Høgmo's side, while Kashima Antlers picked up a point in a 1-1 draw at home with Albirex Niigata which not only extended their unbeaten run to nine games overall but also maintained the visitors' place in second spot in the J-League standings.

Urawa Reds had previously strung together a promising three-game winning streak in the domestic top flight which consisted of victories over Yokohama F. Marinos, Albirex Niigata and Kyoto Sanga but having now failed to win any of their subsequent four games, the hosts have dropped down the table to a disappointing 11th place.

A previous 2-1 defeat at home to the J-League leaders, Machida Zelvia, outweighed points picked up in draws with Jubilo Iwata and Vissel Kobe and despite holding home advantage at their Saitama Stadium 2002 this Saturday, Urawa Reds face another tough assignment in the shape of high-flying Kashima Antlers this weekend.

Results to date at home this season though have been fairly encouraging as Urawa Reds have collected five of their total of seven wins in the J-League at their Saitama Stadium 2002.

Kashima Antlers extended their solid and impressive unbeaten run in the J-League to nine games overall last weekend with a 1-1 draw at home with Albirex Niigata to keep Ranko Popovic's side in touch with the league leaders, Machida Zelvia, and the visitors may well also fancy their chances of gaining another positive result at Urawa Reds this weekend too.

An indifferent start to this J-League campaign saw Kashima Antlers pick up just four wins in their opening eight games of this new term with wins against Nagoya Grampus, Kawasaki Frontale, Jubilo Iwata and Kyoto Sanga respectively but they had also slipped to four defeats within this opening period as well.

However, Ranko Popovic's side have produced greater consistency since and having recorded no fewer than seven wins within their last nine league matches overall, Kashima Antlers look in good shape to add to their points tally this weekend especially as four of these aforementioned seven wins have been achieved away from home.

Wins on the road at Gamba Osaka, Kashiwa Reysol, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Consadole Sapporo underline the visitors' threat on their travels so far this season.

Urawa Reds v Kashima Antlers Verdict

Previous encounters have been pretty tight affairs with four of the last five meetings resulting in stalemate along with Kashima Antlers claiming a narrow 1-0 win but the visitors look the better equipped to grab the three points in this clash.

Therefore, our main bet will be Kashima Antlers win @ 3.20

Other side bets worth considering:

Kashima Antlers win & Under 2.5 goals @ 6.50

Correct Score: Kashima Antlers 1-0 @ 9.50