J1 - The Last 3

The final three games of the 2013 J1 Season for the Top Five & Those 15^th & 16^th.

Top Five

1. Yokohama 59 points, GD +20; 1 Home 2 Away Remaining

Iwata (17^th) A, Niigata (8^th) H, Kawasaki (6^th) A

              - Sorely missed Shunsuke Nakamura in home loss to Nagoya but draws for Urawa and Hiroshima kept them top. Should have Nakamura and Manabu Saito fit after international break, next two look winnable but misfiring attack has scored only five goals in the last eight and Marquinhos hasn’t netted in the league since the end of August.

2. Urawa 58, GD +18; 2 Home 1 Away

Kawasaki (6^th) H, Tosu (14^th) A, Cerezo (5^th) H

              - Seconds away from going top before Sendai’s late, late equalizer - the second time in current six-game unbeaten run they’ve surrendered lead in stoppage time (Kofu, Matchday 26). Two home games left looks good on paper but will the defence hold up and can they handle pressure and expectations from rabid home support?

3. Hiroshima 57, +20; 1 Home 2 Away

Cerezo (5^th) A, Shonan (16^th) H, Kashima (4^th) A

              - Missed chance to go top in draw at Kashiwa, making difficult trip to Cerezo next a must-win. Experience of last year’s title should mean they’re in it going into the last day, but Kashima could still have title to play for themselves.

4. Kashima 56, GD +10; 2 Home 1 Away

Tosu (14^th) H, Cerezo (5^th) A, Hiroshima (3^rd) H

              - Goal difference could end up being their Achilles’ heel and as a result they’ll probably need to win all three to stand any chance of claiming the title, a huge ask as Cerezo and Hiroshima still have plenty to play for themselves.

5. Cerezo 53, GD +18; 2 Home 1 Away

Hiroshima (3^rd) H, Kashima (4^th) H, Urawa (2^nd) A

              - Big win at FC Tokyo kept their ACL hopes alive. As I’ve been saying for the past month they probably can’t win the league but their last three will have a big say in who does, and Yokohama will be hoping for some help from them.

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15th & 16th

15. Kofu 34, GD -11; 2 Home 1 Away

Oita (18^th) H, Nagoya (11^th) A, Tosu (14^th) H

              - They’re safe. Just need a point from the last three or a Shonan loss to confirm it.

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16. Shonan 25, GD -25; 1 Home 2 Away

FC Tokyo (7^th) A, Hiroshima (3^rd) A, Omiya (13^th) H

              - It’s as simple as this: They MUST win all three and Kofu must lose all of their’s. But then they’ll still be relegated on goal difference.