Predicted lineups for GW 262 for J1 League & ACL Tips

Intro

This GW we see the a mix of ACL games and standard J League games.

I have made the predicted lineups for the J1 League games on the Sorare Sharp app which can be found here:

Important to note the %s used here and where they are not above 80% it is because I feel there is some risk involved. My main aim with these is to show where risk/potential DNPs are lurking.

I base these %s on info I read from various sources including comments from the manager. I try not bring my own bias in eg I own Araki and see him not starting this game based on what fans have said and recent picks from the manager. I will never be perfect with this of course!

Player Suspensions & Injuries

I have made a new page on the site that has all known player injuries. I can be found here

J1 League GW262 Key Points

For Sapporo, Kaneko wasnt seen in training and is a doubt for this game. Ogashiwa has been in training but his condition is not clear so is also a doubt.

Saito for Gamba is unable to play against his parent club (Shonan this GW)

The reverse is true for Tani who is on loan to Gamba from his parent club and unable to play in this fixture. Tomii should replace him in nets but as its for just one game only be careful in checking the price before getting Tomii as you may be "stuck" with him for a while!

As mentioned previously, I dont expect Araki to start here. I do hope to be wrong but he didnt impress in the cup game midweek and the manager has made lukewarm comments about him so far.

Maruyama played the full 90 in the cup game and according to reports, did well. Nagoya still lost and they are struggling for form. I have Fujii just about favourite to start this one but wouldnt be surprised if Maruyama was starts. I hold both on Sorare and wont risk either as not only is the club low on confidence but this is a very hard game for them.

Inui was given a 6 game ban and his future at C.Osaka looks over/bleak. It cambe about for his reaction after being taken off as a sub, which feels very harsh on the surface but there may well be more to the story than we will ever know. Kiyotake has been getting some gametime in the last two matches and is in the running to start here (esp with Inui absence!)

Savio went off with a leg injury last game and its unknown his condition. It didnt look that bad however there is some risk here until confirmed he is fine and training OK.

AFC/ACL

As a reminder, you can find some general info I did for the ACL on this post. I am not doing predicted lineups for the games this GW - mainly as its going to be highly unpredictable esp when teams play against very weak opposition

Instead, I will give some general hints and the way I am looking at it

ACL - GW262

Urawa

Urawa are playing twice this GW. I expect them to play a very strong team in the opening game against the Lion City Sailors. The manager has said he wants to start the campaign well and Lion City seem relatively strong in the group.

The second game is also inside the GW vs Shandong. I expect rotation for this game though for Sorare it doesnt present many opportunities as only those who arent in the squad the first game can be counted for the second match

The players for this GW, I see as key for Sorare are Nishikawa, Iwanami, Sakai, Scholz, Iwao, Akimoto, Koizumi, Esaka and Junker.

Yokohama FM

Although on paper, Yokohama FM are playing a relatively weak team in Hoang Anh Gia Lai, I expect them to play a relatively strong team to start the competition with a win

The ACL foreign rule means they will only be able to field 3 of their 5 Brazilian players (Cera, Eduardo, Elber, M.Junior and Lopes) at one time. All 5 are in the running to start this game after M.Junior was seen in full training and looking ready to go

Frontale

Frontale play the opening game tonight versus Ulsan where I expect them to play a very strong lineup. The second game versus Guangzhou is being counted for GW262 and I expect heavy rotation with some youngsters getting a shot.

I am unsure if the keeper changes for this game as historically in the ACL, the manager has been conservative with keeper changes. Tanno is considered the second choice keeper however, Hayasaka could well get a chance to play sometime this ACL. He is the designated special player for Frontale who came through their academy before going to university. For this game I do expect Sung Ryong to remain in nets.

In defence, it feels like Kuruyama is close to a return. Another noteable young talent is Tanabe. In mid, I see players like Matsui and Seko potentially starting this game. In attack - I see Damiao and Ienaga being rested with Chinen, Miyagi and perhaps Kozuka coming in.

The result of the opening game vs Ulsan will also effect the lineup choice I imagine and secondly the general condition of the players. Sadly we wont know any of this as tonight game ends after the deadline. I personally will take some risk with a few players identified here but mostly in less important divisions for me eg Underdog limited