Shimizu S-pulse vs Yokohama F. Marinos — Tips & Analysis

Yokohama F. Marinos +0.25: Yokohama have owned this pairing. They have won 11 of the last 20 meetings to Shimizu's 5, and they won the most recent one 3-0. That is the main reason we want them here. Shimizu are hard to beat but harder still to back. They have won just one of their eight home games and tied four. They score just over a goal a game and have won 4, tied 8 and lost 6 of their last 18. Winning big is not their game either, with only 2 wins by 2 or more goals in that run. Yokohama travel better than their league position suggests. They score 2 goals a game on their away trips and have won 4, tied 1 and lost 4 on the road. They have the better players in the final third and they showed it in the last meeting. Both teams come in rested, with a week or more since their last game. These meetings are usually open, averaging more than 3 goals across the last 20. A 1-2 Yokohama win is the likeliest finish. Shimizu should stay in it for an hour before the visitors take over. The risk is Yokohama themselves. They have won 7, tied 3 and lost 8 of their last 18, and they were beaten 4-3 at home by Kashima last time out. Shimizu only need one of their better days to take this. We still want Yokohama to come away from Shizuoka unbeaten.