Sanfrecce Hiroshima officially declared themselves out of the running for this season's Japanese Championship after suffering a 0-1 defeat to Kyoto Immortals on Saturday.
Sanfrecce's offense was monotonous in that defeat, and the second half was too direct and simple, leading to the loss.
If Sanfrecce wants to get points, they need to stop Nagoya Whale from scoring from the sides, so I think their pair of wingbacks, Takaki Shiki and Satoshi Nakano, will be crucial, as their mobility on the left and right side of the field and their accurate passes will come in handy.
The Nagoya Whalers are without a win in their last five matches after a 1-1 draw with Hokkaido's Gonzaga Sapporo last weekend, leaving them eight points behind table-topping Kobe Victory.
In that match, they lacked energy as a whole, and since the team has been fielding the same players for several matches, it seems that these players are showing signs of fatigue.
Morishima has been a revelation for the Whale since joining Hiroshima in August, and has created a lot of scoring chances for the Whale. However, what he needs to improve most urgently now is his direct involvement in scoring goals. In other words, he will be one of the focal points in this reverse fixture.
