Mito's new shape faces an attack that can reach the box through wide deliveries and restarts. Its first pressure and first clearance will be tested repeatedly. Okayama's active press sets up another sharp contest over the first pass. Tokyo's ability to escape it and produce a clean next shot shapes that match.
Hiroshima have more than possession: Suga's delivery created finishes against Shimizu, while Higashi, Araki and Arai have given them separate restart routes. Mori's first Mito match showed a tighter idea, yet it still allowed a corner rebound goal and an immediate far-post reply after equalising. Shimatani started that cup match despite a doubtful tag, and the other flagged Mito roles have no confirmed match lineup; Hiroshima's Yamasaki was already absent after an earlier surgery report. The repeated supply against those recent defensive breaks has me siding with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Okayama can press high, connect Lucao with Esaka and attack the second ball. At Kawasaki that press also left direct transition openings, and twenty Okayama attempts brought only two shots on target. Tokyo have an active Inamura-to-Ishihara delivery route, Nakagawa in the finish, and Scholz or Gomez on restarts, giving them another way to answer after the first attack. The listed injury doubts did not appear in either club's previous player lines, while the replacement defensive and supply roles already played. I am siding with FC Tokyo to turn one of those clean openings into the decisive finish.
