Albirex Niigata vs Urawa Red Diamonds, 2023 Japanese J1 League
· Japanese J.LeagueAbout
Game Information
Venue: Niigata Stadium Big Swan
Location: Niigata, Japan
Attendance: 27,775
Japanese J1 League Standings
| # | TEAM | GP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Tokyo | 14 | +25 | 33 |
| 2 | Kashiwa Reysol | 14 | +11 | 31 |
| 3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 14 | +22 | 30 |
| 4 | Machida Zelvia | 14 | +20 | 29 |
Line-Ups
Albirex Niigata
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ryosuke Kojima (GK) |
| 31 | Yuto Horigome |
| 3 | Thomas Deng |
| 25 | Soya Fujiwara |
| 5 | Michael James |
| 20 | Yuzuru Shimada |
| 27 | Motoki Nagakura |
| 8 | Takahiro Koh |
| 32 | Takumi Hasegawa |
| 33 | Yoshiaki Takagi |
| 9 | Koji Suzuki |
Urawa Red Diamonds
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Shusaku Nishikawa (GK) |
| 28 | Alexander Scholz |
| 2 | Hiroki Sakai |
| 5 | Marius Hoibraten |
| 15 | Takahiro Akimoto |
| 14 | Takahiro Sekine |
| 21 | Tomoaki Okubo |
| 3 | Atsuki Ito |
| 19 | Ken Iwao |
| 8 | Yoshio Koizumi |
| 11 | José Kanté |
Japanese J1 League News
Despite it being a friendly match, Japan will have much to play for against Brazil on Saturday -- for more than one reason.
Transfer deadlines are hitting across the globe and, with it, bringing to an end a window that has seen a remarkable surge in interest in players who represented the Socceroos at the FIFA World Cup.
Japan wingback Yukinari Sugawara has reiterated that his team are at the World Cup not just to participate, but to win it.
Socceroos bolter Tete Yengi says his journey to the national team has not been straightforward, but he believes these adventures have played a key role in his pursuit of becoming the "ultimate player" and, more importantly, a World Cup representative.
Even with a couple of key players out through injury, Japan could still be the most exciting team at the 2026 World Cup.