Albirex Niigata vs Sagan Tosu, 2023 Japanese J1 League
· Japanese J.LeagueAbout
Game Information
Venue: Niigata Stadium Big Swan
Location: Niigata, Japan
Attendance: 17,555
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) |
| 2 | Naoto Arai |
| 15 | Taiki Watanabe |
| 5 | Michael James  |
| 25 | Soya Fujiwara |
| 22 | Eitaro Matsuda |
| 6 | Hiroki Akiyama |
| 8 | Takahiro Koh |
| 33 | Yoshiaki Takagi |
| 11 | Shusuke Ota |
| 9 | Koji Suzuki |
Sagan Tosu
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 71 | Il-Kyu Park (GK) |
| 20 | Hwang Seok-Ho |
| 2 | Kosuke Yamazaki |
| 42 | Wataru Harada |
| 23 | Taichi Kikuchi |
| 29 | Yuto Iwasaki |
| 44 | Yuki Horigome |
| 5 | So Kawahara |
| 24 | Yoichi Naganuma |
| 7 | Kohei Tezuka |
| 10 | Yuji Ono |
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.