Nagoya Grampus vs. Shimizu S-Pulse Match Preview Article

Nagoya Grampus, Recent Form

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The Nagoya Grampus squad will be suffering from a feeling of disappointment after falling to a 2-1 away defeat against Vissel Kobe, which saw them drop all three points and come away from the game empty-handed.  Their share of possession in that meeting was 50%, while racking up 10 shots along the way, 4 of which were on target, in contrast to Vissel Kobe, who had 21 shots on goal with 4 on target.  

Manager Kenta Hasegawa will be reasonably pleased with his team's attacking displays in recent matches, having managed to score 8 goals in their last 6 games, but he will have work to do defensively after they conceded 5 goals in those games and dropped some valuable points along the way.   They have scored in 5 of their last 6 games, but so far this season they have conceded at least 1 goal in 16 of their 20 games.  

They have had a strong run of form at Toyota Stadium recently, being undefeated in 5 of their last 6 home games and picking up 4 wins along the way.  

Shimizu S-Pulse, Recent Form

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With a 0-0 draw in their last match against Gamba Osaka, Shimizu S-Pulse had to settle for a share of the points.  They came away from that fixture with a 40% share of the possession and clocked up 16 attempts on goal with 8 on target, in comparison to Gamba Osaka, who managed 17 attempts on goal, 6 of which were on target.  

It's reasonable to say they have enjoyed some decent goal scoring form of late, with 7 goals notched up in their last 6 matches, but while their offensive line is working, their defensive setup has shown cause for concern with 10 goals shipped and valuable points dropped.  They have failed to keep a clean sheet in 5 of their last 6 games.  

They're experiencing a relativley poor spell of form on the road, having lost 4 of their last 6 away games despite notching up a couple of wins.  

Takashi Inui will be hoping to create problems for Nagoya Grampus in this one, having scored 2 goals in his last 6 outings on the road for Shimizu S-Pulse.