Predicted Lineups - J1 League 2022 for Sorare - GW254

Intro

I will be doing predicted lineups for the Japanese J1 League for each GW. These lineups will be made from information I gather from:

• Press conferences/interviews with the manager

• Training information

• Suspension lists

• Lineups from last year if same manager

I will be updating the blog as and when I get information and giving a % for my confidence the player will start.

I know from general experience with monitoring lineups across all leagues on sorare, information can drop right up to the deadline (eg a positive corona case of a player a few hours before the deadline). So I will be in general updating the lineup prediction the day after the GW opens and then updating it again the day of the deadline.

I will also be providing betting odds where available, such as:

• % chance of win

I am not expecting to be anywhere near perfect with these lineups and hope to improve as time goes on. The main aim is to illustrate where I see risk and what kind of opportunities there are each GW.

Player Injuries

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

GW 254 Fixtures

Shimizu vs Kobe

Shimizu predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 35.5%

Most likely to play - Gonda, Tatsuta, Suzuki

Combos - Gonda & Suzuki

Main set Piece taker -

Pens -

COVID Cases/Injury - Santos, Silvano and Matsuoka out for 2-3 weeks. Valdo (back in training)

Notes

From the training pictures we have seen a few players that have been missing:

Matsuoka

Valdo

Carlinhos Junior

Nishizawa was also reported to have been training though I couldn't find a picture of this.

It is difficult to know if they are match fit so I havent included them in the starting lineup however it is certainly good news for holders as all 34will likely be starters and should be back after the international break. Nishizawa was also reported to have been training though I couldn't find a picture of this

It was also confirmed that new striker Se-hun Oh has joined up with the squad and he will be ready to start after the international break too

Vissel Kobe Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 40%

Most likely to play - Sakai, Iikura

Combos - Yamaguchi + Iniesta

Main set Piece taker - Iniesta 2) Hatsuse

Pens - Iniesta

COVID Cases -

Injury - Muto ( 8-10 weeks), Samper (stretchered off, not seen in training), Goke (TBC - not seen in training and not in squad last game)

Notes

Vissel came from behind on Tuesday night to win 4-3 in extra time against Melbourne Victory and claim a coveted spot in the ACL group stage giving them another 6 games that will be scored on Sorare.

The game definitely took a lot out of the squad including a nasty looking injury for Samper. Though the injury hasnt been diagnosed yet, I cant see him playing this weekend.

Outside this, the game is a huge rotation risk for a number of players including Iniesta. I havent seen him or alot of the players in training which I assume is to give them a break after the ACL game. This means, I can see alot of the players who were subs in the previous game coming in, including Yuruki, Hatsuse, Makino and Ogihara.

This is not a lineup im personally confident with so will likely stack my players in a less important division (Kikuchi, Yamaguchi and Sakai). Both Yamaguchi and Sakai dont generally get rotated

Prediction

Before the season started, I would see this as a comfortable win for Kobe. However, with their stuttering start to the season and injuries mounting up, I agree with the bookies outlook and see this being a very close game.

Shimizu have a number of players returning from injuries and if any of them are ready to play this game it could make a huge difference to the outcome of the game.

Overall, I can see this ending as low scoring draw.

Shimizu 1-1 Kobe

Kyoto vs FC Tokyo

Kyoto Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 27%

Most likely to play -Kaneko, Mendes, Utaka

Combos -Matsuda & Utaka

Main set Piece taker - Matsuda

Pens - Utaka

COVID Cases -

Suspension - Asada

Injuries -

Notes

Kamifukumoto should return in nets from his suspension. As discussed here a few times, Kyoto have 3 very decent keepers and Wakahara or Wood or especially have a shot to make the number 1 spot.

Asada is suspended for this game and Ogiwara is the natural replacement

FC Tokyo Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 44%

Most likely to play - Slowik,, Morishige, Higashi, Konno, Matsuki, Oliveira

Combos - Slowik & Morishige

Main set Piece taker - Leandro & Ogawa

Pens - Leandro

COVID Cases -

Injuries - Leandro

Suspensions -

Notes

Aoki returns from suspension and should partner up with Abe in midfield.

Nagatomo came on at half time and played as RB so could well be pushing for a spot here. It could see Ogawa move over to the right side as Nagatomo is naturally a left sided player.

Trevisan only last 45 mins last week and played in the league cup so feel like he is not fully fit yet to start.

I see it being the same attack as last week when FC Tokyo impressed me in their 2-1 win against Hiroshima.

Prediction

Both teams have played a lot better than I expected preseason, especially FC Tokyo who have been much more fluid compared to last year.

I see this being a comfortable victory for FC Tokyo.

Kyoto 1-3 FC Tokyo

Gamba Osaka vs Fukuoka

Gamba Osaka Predicted Lineup

You can see a preview of the game from a Gamba fan here

Odds

• Win - 33%

Most likely to play - Ishikawa, Shoji, Kurata, Onose, Patric, Yamamoto

Combos - Shoji + Ishikawa

Main set Piece taker - Yamamoto

Pens - Patric

COVID Cases - none reported

Injuries - Higashiguchi, Fujiharu, Usami - out for 6 months +

Suspension -

Notes

Higashiguchi had surgery last week on his knee and will be out for at least 3 months.

Shoji was surprisingly missing last week but was seen in full training this week so should return at the back. Perira scored in the last game and could be pushing for a start though I have kept him out for the time being as not sure of the managers preference with him and what his fitness levels are at.

Dawhan and Kown Kyung Won joined up with the squad this week and are training well though I feel it would make sense to put them into the team after the upcoming international break.

Fukuoka predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 40%

Most likely to play - Murakami, Mae,Lukian, Shichi

Combos - Grolli & Murakami

Main set Piece taker - Yamagishi

Pens - Lukian

COVID Cases -

Injuries - Maejima,

Notes

Grolli was surprisingly missing last game but he and Nara awere both seen in training this week. For Sorare, as always, I am cautious and wouldnt risk them until I see they are back playing.

Defensively Fukuoka have been very solid however its in attack they are having major issues - only scoring 1 goal in 4 games. There may well be changes in this game with players such as Croux, Tanaka and Delgado potentially coming in.

Maejima went off injured 2 games ago and unlikely to play here unless we get an update on him.

Match Prediction

Games involving Fukuoka tend to be very low scoring affairs and I can see this being similar.

Overall, I can see Gamba winning this in a tight affair where there will be few goal scoring opportunities for either side.

Gamba Osaka 1-0 Fukuoka

Hiroshima vs Kawasaki Frontale

Hiroshima Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 28%

Most likely to play - Hayashi, Sasaki, Araki, Nogami

Combos - Hayashi + Sasaski

COVID Cases - none reported

Injuries -

Suspension -

Notes

Hiroshima have been relatively consist ant with their team lineups this season so far & I see the this continuing especially in defence.

I have seen talk of Aoyama or Nagai pushing for a spot instead of Santos and I can understand why as Santos has been very average so far this season.

Ezequiel has been missing from recent squads but played a training game last week so imagine he is working up his fitness levels and this game will be too soon for him

Frontale Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 46.5%

Most likely to play - Taniguchi, Yamane, Sung Ryong, Yamamura

Combos - Damiao, Yamane/

Main set Piece taker - Wakizaka/Ienaga

Pens - Damiao/Ienaga

COVID Cases -

Suspensions - Chanthip

Injuries - Jesiel (ACL, expected back May but TBC), Kurumaya( Shoulder injury, back mid April)

Notes

Noborizato has returned to full training and I can see him starting here - though its not for certain as Sasaki has done very well at left back whilst covering this spot

Chanthip is suspended and I can see Oshima being the more natural replacement for him. Otherwise I see the same team playing that beat Nagoya last week

Match Prediction

Frontale have been alot less expansive/exciting football compared to last year and have shown plenty of vulnerabilities. However, they keep finding ways to win and now that the schedule is allowing more rest between games, I can see them winning this

Hiroshima 1-3 Frontale

Kashima vs Shonan

Kashima Antlers Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 60%

Most likely to play - Pituca, Higuchi, Kwon, Suzuki, Misao, Ueda

Combos - Araki & Ueda/Suzuki

Main set Piece taker - Araki/Higuchi

Pens - Suzuki

COVID Cases - 4

Notes

Antlers have 4 covid cases that have been reported. I suspect Min Tae is one of them as he was missing from the squad in the league cup game.

Teams dont announce who the covid cases are so I have looked at training photos to see who is present. This will not be a 100% perfect method but I hope it helps.

I have seen Misao, Suzuki, Ueda, Araki, Sun Tae, Anzai, Pituca, Sekigawa,Higuchi in training in the last 2 days. Some photos below:

Tsunemoto & Doi were all in the squad or played in the league cup so I have considered them available for this game too. Bueno played in the cup game but also was unimpressive making a series of blunders as Antlers drew 3-3 with J2 team Oita.

Shonan predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 19%

Most likely to play - Tani, Yonemoto, Tanaka

Combos - Tani and Tanaka

Main set Piece taker -Barada, Yonemoto

Pens -

COVID Cases - none reported

Injuries - Hata out for 7 weeks, Wellington (TBC, went off on stretcher last game)

Suspension -

Notes

Tariq was missing from the squad last game so I cant see him starting here as not seen any updates on him. Wellington went off on a stretcher last game and is a doubt for the game here and I see Segawa replacing him

Match Prediction

Despite the covid cases and some uncertainty around the team (which is v frustrating for sorare!) I can see Kashima being too strong for Shonan and winning this one comfortably.

Kashima 2-o Shonan

Urawa vs Iwata

Urawa Reds Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 56%

Most likely to play - Nishikawa, Ito, Iwao, Akimoto, Sakai

Combos - Nishikawa and Iwananmi

Main set Piece taker - Esaka/Iwao

Pens - Esaka/Iwao

COVID Cases -

Suspensions -

Notes

Urawa were bitterly disappointing in their 1-0 loss to Sagan Tosu last week and the team lacked patience and structure which played into their opponents hands. Looking at training photos, Karlsson looks up to speed and I can see him starting. I have read Junker has been suffering from a chronic injury hence his lack of game time. He tweeted this week saying he was in "100% condition" so I tentatively see him starting here (something I have been wanting for weeks to be honest!)

Ohata went off with an injury scare but was seen in training yesterday, however it will be a toss up between him and Mawatari. There has also been some talk of Iwanami getting and rest and Inukai coming, but I have seen this before so am sticking with Iwanami starting.

Matsuo is also back training and I see him making an appearance from the bench in this one

Iwata predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 21%

Most likely to play - Miura, Ohi, Endo, Matsumoto, Sugimoto

Combos - Endo & Sugimoto

Main set Piece taker - Endo

Pens - Sugimoto

COVID Cases/Injury

Suspension-

Notes

Iwata have been relatively consistent with their player picks this year and I don't see a very similar team to last week starting again this week

Match Prediction

Urawa are a team that I have personally expected alot more from this season and have predicted most of their results incorrectly! I will stick to my confidence with them, especially if Junker and Karlsson start this one.

I also feel at home, Urawa play more confidently so see this as a comfortable win for them

Urawa Reds 2-o Iwata

C.Osaka vs Sapporo

Cerezo Osaka Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 38%

Most likely to play - Kim Jin Hyeon, , Harakawa, Okuno, Kiyotake

,Combos - Harakawa & Kato

Main set Piece taker - Harakawa & Kiyotake

Pens - Kiyotake

Injuries -Maruhashi (not seen in training), Kiyoytake, Inui

COVID Cases - None reported

Notes

We have seen a number of players returning to training for C.Osaka including:

• Mendes

• Shindo

• Yamashita

Hard to tell who is fit enough to play esp who will be partnering Nisbio at CB. Jonijic has another week of training under his belt so could also be in the reckoning.

Kiyotake is out with a muscle pull. The condition of the forwards in general is poor and there has been a lot of rotation up top. Mendes and Kato are training and could start here. I havent seen Taggart or Maruhashi in training pictures so they look out again. Newcomer Jean Patric joined up with up the squad recently and has been seen training but i feel this is too soon for him.

Sapporo Predicted Lineup

It is going to be very difficult to do any predicted lineup for the Sapporo team after 9 players tested positive for covid and are out of this game.

From looking at photos/videos and info I can see that the below doing promo work or training - however I cant place the date of the promo work so tread very carefully here and I would advice not to play any Sapporo players if you can!

• Sugeno

• Fernandes

• Ryota Aoki

• Takuma Arano

• Fukumori

• Tanaka

• Suga

• Kaneko

Also note that Ogashiwa is on a different training programme after picking up an injury in the last game.

I am avoiding using Sapporo players in Sorare this GW due to the uncertainty around who will play

Odds

• Win - 36%

COVID Cases - 9

Match Prediction

With C.Osaka having quite a few injury problems, especially in attack and Sapporo having potentially so many key players out with Covid I can see this game being even and ending in a low scoring draw.

C.Osaka 1 - 1 Sapporo

Nagoya vs Kashiwa

Nagoya Predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 48%

Most likely to play - Langerak, Nakatani, Yoshida, Inagaki, Mateus

Combos - Langerak & Nakatani

Main set Piece taker - Mateus

Pens - Mateus

COVID Cases -

Injuries -

Notes

Tiago is back to 100% condition and will likely start here. Although Nagoya were poor against Frontale, I dont expect there to be many changes in this game with only perhaps potentially Kakitani coming in

Kashiwa predicted Lineup

Odds

• Win - 25%

Most likely to play - Seung- Gyu, Koga, Mitsumura,Douglas

Combos - Seung gyu + Koga

Main set Piece taker -

Pens - Douglas/Savio

COVID Cases/Injury - Shiihashi left the last game early, injury extent TBC

Notes

I see a similar team to last GW for the impressive Kashiwa, with the only change being Dodi coming in to replace Shiihashi

Match Prediction

Kashiwa and in particular Savio, Hosoya and Douglas have impressed & performed alot better than I expected this year.

I feel the game will be much tighter than the odds suggest, however with home advantage can see this being a win for Nagoya.

Nagoya 2 - 0 Kashiwa

Finish

I hope you found this useful!

Remember this is just a guide based on the info I have. I have tried to keep it neutral but of course there will be bias at play. As I have said previously, I want this to be helpful to you in managing risk rather than picking the right player where its a 50/50 flip.

If you spot anything glaringly wrong (eg an injury or suspended player), do let me know! I will be updating this all the way up to the deadline as we can get info very last minute

Let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions of other players :)

I am always more than happy to talk things J1 League & Sorare on twitter or Discord

Click below for the J League Sorare Discord channel:

I plan to keep this site and discord free as I enjoy seeing folk get passionate about the J league and all its delights! This does take me alot of time to produce and manage. I am considering whether to move parts to a paid section.

To keep me motivated and support me, you can donate anything you wish (click below) or send me something to my sorare account. Any kind words on Discord or twitter also does keep me wanting to produce more content too!