At the end of last season, Cerezo Osaka finished in third place in the J-League 1. In the competition for third place, following the results of two meetings, they managed to beat Tokyo (2:2 and 3:1). Despite such a good overall result, the club underwent a change of coach in the summer. Pablo Machin was appointed instead of Artur Papas. Under the guidance of new coach Cerezo, Osaka defeated Tochigi City 1-0 in a friendly match.
Borussia failed to compete with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last season, but confidently took second place. The gap from Munich was 16 points at the finish. In the off-season, you can see numerous changes in the squad. Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt and Niklas Zule have left the club. Clearly, the management is betting on the rejuvenation of the team. Young promising players have been acquired: Joan Gadou, Kaua Prates and Justin Lerma. 18-year-old Takato Yamamoto was hired from Gamba Osaka. Dortmund had two sparring matches, in which they beat Rot-Weiss Oberhausen (3:1) and lost to Fortuna from Dusseldorf (1:2).
Cerezo Osaka is playing at home today, and serious fan support is expected. Plus, the heat and high humidity – the owners will obviously be better prepared for such conditions. Borussia played unstable in the previous two friendlies, the squad is far from the main one, as Gregor Kobel, Rami Bensebaini, Julian Ruerson and Marcel Zabitzer are still on vacation after the World Cup, Nico Schlotterback and Emre Can are injured. We do not think that in an experimental squad and in difficult conditions, Borussia is able to form a confident victory with a difference of more than one goal.
Our prediction is that Cerezo Osaka will win with an Asian handicap (+1.5) for a coefficient of 1.83
Bet 1st half: total more than 1.5 goals
In four of Cerezo Osaka's last five matches, more than one goal was scored in the opening 45 minutes.
Cerezo Osaka and Borussia Dortmund will play in a friendly match. The hosts, led by Akio Kogiku, have not lost in the last five meetings, and Niko Kovac led his team to three wins out of five. In the only face-to-face game, Borussia was stronger.
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