This match pits Tokyo's quick recovery after losing the ball against Kashima's attempts to play through midfield and release runners behind the defense. Both teams can reach the attacking third by more than one route. The first pass after a turnover and the next defensive action should shape the game.
Tokyo kept creating entries against Kashiwa, then turned pressure into goals through Nakagawa and Dani Gómez against Okayama. Kashima can use Suzuki between the lines and Higuchi's delivery, but its recent left-side cover and deep exits have offered opponents recoveries. Tokyo's Scholz and Inamura provide the defensive base for another wave of pressure.
Tokyo's Muroya and Nagatomo and Kashima's Kim Tae-hyeon and Anzai missed the most recent examined games; those absences were already reflected in the sides that played. Kashima rested some attacking starters during the Buriram trip, while Tokyo's Homma and Hashimoto returned for short appearances. Tokyo's repeated supply and more than one observed finisher against this specific exit and cover problem are why I'm siding with FC Tokyo.
