Yamagata 1 - 0 Vissel

Well, we certainly have an nervous end to the season approaching! Vissel are deservedly hovering 2 spots above relegation now after a 0-1 defeat at Yamagata. We went a goal down 5 minutes before half time, and apparently we had only one shot on target in the entire second half. On this form, the only thing that will save us from playing the likes of Tochigi and Okayama next year is Kashiwa who are playing equally terrible, maintaining a 7 point cushion just below us. All of our remaining 5 games are against teams that are currently mid-table (5th to 11th) and I think a win and a draw will be enough. In contrast, Kashiwa still have to play both Shimizu and Kawasaki, as well as Yamagata and Omiya who are also trying to avoid relegation. I predict we will scrape through.

At the other end of the table, there are only 6 points between the top 8 teams!! On current form, my money is on S-Pulse.