Vissel Kobe vs Kashima — Tips & Analysis

Vissel Kobe +0.25: Nothing separates these two. The last 20 meetings are split 8 wins each with 4 ties, and those games averaged under 3 goals. In a game this even, we want the side getting the head start. Kobe are second and playing well. They have won their last four games. At home they let in only a goal a game across nine matches. They have lost by 2 or more just 3 times in their last 18 games. They are hard to beat properly. Kashima are third and have the better record, with 12 wins in 19 games. They score almost 2 goals a game. They have lost their last two though, 0-1 at home to Urawa and 2-4 at Mito Hollyhock, so they arrive with questions at the back. Both teams have had five days off, so nobody is short of rest. Our read is a 1-1 tie. Kobe need to avoid defeat and that read gives us it, with a Kobe win the bonus on top. The warning sits in this game's own history. It has produced one-sided results in both directions inside four months. Kobe won 5-0 in May and Kashima won 2-0 in June, so a quiet 1-1 is far from guaranteed. We are still happy to take Kobe with a start.