This is the Hawks' last regular-season game, and the team showing up in Sendai is not the one that won 91 games. They have already pulled several regulars and most of their late-inning bullpen to get ready for the Climax Series. On the mound, Kenta Maeda has been sharp lately, while Taiga Kamichatani is coming back from a long gap between starts. I'm siding with Rakuten in this one.
The Rakuten Golden Eagles are positioned to extend their home dominance over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. With Kenta Maeda pitching at an elite level since June and the Hawks relying on a spot start from reliever Taiga Kamichatani, the Eagles hold a clear advantage in this matchup.
SoftBank are already league champions, and this regular-season finale in Sendai is mostly a tune-up before their Climax Series Final. They have pulled Yanagita and closer Osuna from the active roster, and Makihara won't play. Rakuten's Kenta Maeda is pitching as well as he has all year. This game is about who is actually on the field, not the standings, and I like Rakuten's side of it.
This is the last game of the NPB regular season, and the two clubs are in very different places. Fukuoka has the league sewn up and already holds its two-win head start for the playoffs, while Rakuten is handing the ball to Kenta Maeda for his final outing of the year. That gap in what the game means is what I'm building this slip on.
Malaysia hasn’t conceded a single goal in their last three ASEAN Cup outings, keeping clean sheets against Singapore, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. But Vietnam represents a completely different structural test for this upcoming match. In their two August meetings, Vietnam found ways to pull Malaysia's center-backs out of position and bypass their midfield, winning 2-0 both times. The real question is whether Malaysia's defensive block has actually improved, or if they simply haven't faced a team that transitions as aggressively as Vietnam does.
The standings say Fukuoka, but this game is closer than the table. Fukuoka wrapped up the Pacific League title back on 9/17, and this is only a rain-out make-up date for them. Rakuten sends Kenta Maeda, who is in strong form, against a Fukuoka starter who has been leaking runs lately.
Two KBL games, two different ways a possession can disappear. Anyang beat Mobis despite losing the rebound count, while KoGas faded late against Goyang. In the KoGas–Anyang matchup, I’m watching whether KoGas can keep its half-court trips alive against Anyang’s disruptive defense; an extra rebound means little if the next pass is stolen. What would you watch first: KoGas’s ball security or its late-game shot creation?
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Italy vs Türkiye preview and analysis Kick-off: 3:45 a.m. on October 6 (Korea time)
[2026 CONCACAF Nations League] Guatemala vs Suriname Preview and Analysis Kickoff: Oct. 6, 09:00 (Korea time)
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Poland: Match Preview Kick-off: October 6, 03:45 KST
[2026 CONCACAF Nations League] Honduras vs Jamaica Betting Preview Kickoff: October 6, 11:00 (Korea time)
[2026 Men's International Friendly] Liechtenstein vs Gibraltar Preview Kick-off: October 6, 03:45 KST
[2026 CONCACAF Nations League] Martinique vs El Salvador: Match Preview Kick-off: October 6, 07:00 KST
[2026 UEFA Nations League] France vs Belgium Analysis Preview Kickoff: Oct. 6, 03:45 (Korea time)
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Romania vs Sweden Betting Preview Kick-off: October 6, 03:45 (Korea time)
[2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup] Malaysia vs Vietnam Preview and Analysis Kick-off: October 5, 18:00 Korea time
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Ukraine vs Hungary Preview and Analysis Kick-off: October 6, 03:45 KST
[2026 UEFA Nations League] Northern Ireland vs Georgia Preview Kick-off: Oct 6, 03:45 (Korea time)
[2026 Men's Football International Friendly] Japan vs New Zealand Preview Kick-off: October 5, 19:30 Korea time
[2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup] Indonesia vs Thailand: Match Preview Kick-off: October 5, 22:00 KST
