Urawa Red Diamonds and Kashiwa Reysol are set to meet in round 25 of the Japanese J1 League campaign, with the match taking place at the Saitama Stadium on Wednesday.
Both teams are coming into this clash off the back of friendly defeats. The hosts, Urawa Red Diamonds, suffered a loss to Premier League side Newcastle United, while Kashiwa Reysol suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of FC Tokyo.
Urawa Red Diamonds have experienced a drop in form in recent weeks, with just one point earned from the last nine available in the J1 League. After securing wins over Nagoya Grampus and Jubilo Iwata in June, the Red Devils have failed to win in their last three league matches, facing defeats against Shonan Bellmare and Consadole Sapporo, along with a goalless draw with Kyoto Sanga on July 14.
Under the management of Per Mathias Hogmo, Urawa Red Diamonds have won nine, drawn six, and lost nine of their 24 J1 League matches so far, accumulating 33 points and currently sitting in 10th place in the table. A win in this match could see them move up to seventh place.
Kashiwa Reysol, led by Masami Ihara, are currently in 13th place in the J1 League standings with 29 points from 24 matches. They are just five points above the relegation zone as they head into the final 10 games of the campaign. The team will be hoping to improve their form and distance themselves from the danger zone.
Both teams are coming into this match off the back of mid-season friendly defeats as Kashiwa Reysol lost 1-0 to FC Tokyo in their last outing. Kashiwa Reysol have struggled on the road with just one win in their last nine matches across all competitions since the beginning of May.
Overall, the stage is set for an intriguing encounter between Urawa Red Diamonds and Kashiwa Reysol as they look to bounce back from their recent defeats and secure a positive result in this important J1 League fixture.
