Albirex Niigata vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima, J. League 2023 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Albirex Niigata vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima — J. League at Denka Big Swan Stadium.
- Albirex Niigata 0 games · 0 pts (2026/26)
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima 18 games · 30 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Yuichi Nishimura
- Assistant 1 Mitsuharu Taketa
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vissel Kobe | 18 | 35 |
| 2 | Cerezo Osaka FC | 18 | 31 |
| 3 | Nagoya Grampus | 18 | 31 |
| 4 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 18 | 30 |
| 5 | Gamba Osaka | 18 | 28 |
| 6 | Fagiano Okayama FC | 18 | 26 |
| 7 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 18 | 24 |
| 8 | Kyoto Sanga FC | 18 | 23 |
| 9 | V-Varen Nagasaki | 18 | 21 |
| 10 | Avispa Fukuoka | 18 | 21 |
| 11 | Kashima Antlers | 18 | 45 |
| 12 | FC Tōkyō | 18 | 37 |
| 13 | FC Machida Zelvia | 18 | 37 |
| 14 | Kawasaki Frontale | 18 | 28 |
| 15 | Tokyo Verdy | 18 | 28 |
| 16 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 18 | 25 |
| 17 | Kashiwa Reysol | 18 | 20 |
| 18 | Yokohama F·Marinos | 18 | 20 |
| 19 | FC Mito Holly Hock | 18 | 18 |
| 20 | JEF United Ichihara Chiba | 18 | 12 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Jul | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | H | 2–0 | W |
| 24 Jun | Kashiwa Reysol | A | 0–0 | D |
| 11 Jun | Kyoto Sanga FC | H | 1–3 | L |
| 03 Jun | Shonan Bellmare | A | 2–2 | D |
| 28 May | Gamba Osaka | H | 1–3 | L |
| 20 May | Sagan Tosu FC | A | 0–2 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Jul | Albirex Niigata | A | 0–2 | L |
| 24 Jun | Yokohama F·Marinos | H | 0–1 | L |
| 11 Jun | Kawasaki Frontale | A | 0–1 | L |
| 04 Jun | Kyoto Sanga FC | H | 3–1 | W |
| 31 May | Urawa Red Diamonds | A | 1–2 | L |
| 27 May | Shonan Bellmare | H | 1–0 | W |
Key Stats
50%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (6 games)
H2H (6 games)
17%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
22%
Clean Sheets
Sanfrecce Hiroshima this season
Sanfrecce Hiroshima this season
Goal Timing (This Season)
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
0-15
3/1
16-30
1/2
31-45
3/1
46-60
5/–
61-75
3/4
76+
1/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' The game is set. Sanfrecce Hiroshima kicks off things out of here…
- 5' named a 4-4-2 earlier, and opted for a 4-1-4-1 in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 10' Nassim Ben Khalifa has been relatively quiet despite scoring 8 goals in his last 3 appearances.
- 11' Fresh legs for Albirex Niigata! Eitaro Matsuda comes on to replace Danilo.
- 16' Over 16 minutes have gone by without a meaningful attack. The supporters want more.
- 21' Both teams are passing the ball around with high level of urgency. Albirex Niigata needs to do something about it to get closer to the goal.
- 23' Poor challenge from Takumu Kawamura. The referee spots it immediately and shows the card.
- 25' Shunsuke Mito makes no mistake. The score reads 1-0 and Albirex Niigata are in front.
- 28' What composure from Naoto Arai! The Japan international strokes it home. 2-0.
- 33' That is a card for Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Hayato Araki will be fuming at that decision.
- 38' It’s high time Rikizo Matsuhashi made some changes to put the his team’s game back to action.
- 43' Sanfrecce Hiroshima fans have not had much to celebrate tonight. Their side is struggling to get forward.
- 48' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 49' A change in the Sanfrecce Hiroshima ranks — Taichi Yamasaki exits the field as Gakuto Notsuda enters on 49.
- 54' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 59' With 0 assists to his name this season, Kosei Shibasaki is clearly more than just a goal scorer for Albirex Niigata.
- 62' Sanfrecce Hiroshima ring the changes. Tsukasa Morishima has done his job and it is now time for Kosei Shibasaki to step up.
- 63' Another substitution for Sanfrecce Hiroshima to replace Douglas Vieira by Nassim Ben Khalifa on 63 minute.
- 68' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 71' Shunsuke Mito makes way for Gustavo Nescau at the 71 minute mark. A tactical switch from Albirex Niigata.
- 76' The travelling Sanfrecce Hiroshima supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
- 79' Sanfrecce Hiroshima manager makes another effort to make the tables turned. Yoshifumi Kashiwa is hanging Shunki Higashi on the field on 79 minute.
- 84' The teams are not in a rush to score plenty of goals. It might look strange considering Sanfrecce Hiroshima that had 335 games and scored 427 goals.
- 89' The 30-year-old Soya Fujiwara has been sensational this season — 0 goals and 0 assists is a remarkable return.
- 90' Daichi Tagami has so much to prove this time. He replaces Naoto Arai on 90 minute.
- Full Time. Albirex Niigata beats Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Lineups
Albirex Niigata Lineups
4-4-2Starting XI
- 3
- 20
-
19
Yuji Hoshi ↓ Hiroki Akiyama 71'
- 1
-
17
Danilo ↓ Eitaro Matsuda 11'
-
2
Naoto Arai ↓ Daichi Tagami 90'
- 25
-
14
Shunsuke Mito ↓ Gustavo Nescau 71'
- 16
- 15
-
9
Koji Suzuki ↓ Kaito Taniguchi 49'
Bench
-
50
Daichi Tagami ↑ 90'
- 35
-
22
Eitaro Matsuda ↑ 11'
-
23
Gustavo Nescau ↑ 71'
-
6
Hiroki Akiyama ↑ 71'
- 21
-
7
Kaito Taniguchi ↑ 49'
Coach
Rikizo Matsuhashi
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Lineups
4-1-4-1Starting XI
- 19
- 38
- 3
- 10
- 8
- 24
- 9
- 4
- 16
-
25
Yusuke Chajima ↓ Ezequiel 49'
- 2
Bench
-
14
Ezequiel ↑ 49'
- 22
-
7
Gakuto Notsuda ↑ 49'
-
30
Kosei Shibasaki ↑ 62'
-
18
Yoshifumi Kashiwa ↑ 79'
- 5
-
13
Nassim Ben Khalifa ↑ 63'
Coach
Michael Skibbe
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Hayato Araki | 1 |
| Yoshiaki Takagi | 1 |
| Pieros Sotiriou | 1 |
| Kaito Taniguchi | 1 |
| Miguel Silveira | 1 |
| Shunki Higashi | 1 |
| Kosuke Kinoshita | 1 |
| Naoto Arai | 1 |
Head to Head
Albirex Niigata Form
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Form
2023-07-01
Albirex Niigata
2–0
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
L
2023-06-24
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
0–1
Yokohama F·Marinos
L
2023-06-11
Kawasaki Frontale
1–0
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
L
2023-06-04
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
3–1
Kyoto Sanga FC
W
2023-05-31
Urawa Red Diamonds
2–1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
L
2023-05-27
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
1–0
Shonan Bellmare
W
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.55
Albirex Niigata xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.94
Sanfrecce Hiroshima xG
I would bet for:
Under 2.5 goals 55%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Albirex Niigata win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 2.49
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 90% |
|
10% |
| ± 1.5 | 71% |
|
29% |
| ± 2.5 | 45% |
|
55% |
| ± 3.5 | 24% |
|
76% |
| ± 4.5 | 11% |
|
89% |
Double Chance
Albirex Niigata or Draw
79%
Draw or Sanfrecce Hiroshima
48%
Albirex Niigata or Sanfrecce Hiroshima
73%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Albirex Niigata win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
13%
1 – 0
11.9%
0 – 0
10.4%
2 – 0
Actual
2 – 1
9%
0 – 1
6.8%
1 – 2
5.4%
3 – 0
4.9%
3 – 1
4.7%
2 – 2
4.3%
0 – 2
3.5%
3 – 2
2.3%
Asian Handicap — Albirex Niigata
| Handicap | Albirex Niigata covers | Push | Sanfrecce Hiroshima covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 11% | — | 89% |
| -2 | 11% | 15% | 74% |
| -1.5 | 26% | — | 74% |
| -1 | 26% | 24% | 50% |
| -0.5 | 50% | — | 50% |
| +0.5 | 79% | — | 21% |
| +1 | 79% | 14% | 8% |
| +1.5 | 92% | — | 8% |
| +2 | 92% | 6% | 2% |
| +2.5 | 98% | — | 2% |
Clean Sheet
Albirex Niigata keeps clean sheet
40%
✗
Sanfrecce Hiroshima keeps clean sheet
22%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.

