The J1 League returns to action with a round of matches this week as Shonan Bellmare take on Urawa Red Diamonds in an important clash at the Saitama Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. Urawa Red Diamonds are in fifth place in the league table at the moment with 30 points from 17 games, and have managed to step up to the stage this season. The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by Kawasaki Frontale in their last outing and will need to step up their game this week. Meanwhile, Shonan Bellmare are currently rooted to the bottom of the J1 League standings with 12 points after having played same number of games as their opponents. And, they have been in woeful form so far this season. The away side slumped to a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Sagan Tosu last week and will need to work hard to bounce back in this fixture. They will head into this midweek clash looking to pick up their first league win since early April. I am however expecting a win for the home side for the following reasons:

Firstly. Urawa Red Diamonds enter the tie in much higher spirits and I see them as clear favorites to claim the spoils at their Saitama Stadium. They are unbeaten in ten straight games across all competitions. They own the joint-best defensive record in J1 League with just 13 goals conceded in 17 outings. The team led by Polish manager Maciej Skorza conceded only two goals in the last five games in all competitions. They are only five points off of the third-placed team with a game in hand over them; and will be poised to close the gap by beating Shonan Bellmare this afternoon.

Secondly. The story is completely opposite with Shonan Bellmare. They are going through a nightmare campaign this season, currently occupying the very bottom of the J1 League standings having won only two games from the 17 games played so far since the start of the campaign. Shonan’s form has been dreadful of late as the visitors will go into this off the back of seven losses and a draw in the last eight league games. The latest defeat came four days ago and it was a tough one to take as Shonan fell 6-0 at home to Sagan Tosu at the weekend. They have been in dismal defensive form so far, and the home side will be looking to take advantage of that.

Urawa Red Diamonds have been a force to be reckoned with this season but have stuttered in recent weeks. They have a strong squad at their disposal and are the better team on paper. Given the gulf in quality between the two sides and their contrasting form, I am expecting a home win for Urawa Red Diamonds.

J1联赛本周将有一轮比赛回归，周三下午将在埼玉体育场举行的一场重要的比赛中，雄南贝尔马将迎战浦和红钻。浦和红钻目前以17场比赛30分的成绩排在积分榜的第五位，本赛季他们已经成功登上了积分榜的舞台。红军在上一场比赛中被川崎前锋1-1逼平，本周他们需要加强自己的比赛。与此同时，在与对手的比赛场次相同的情况下，尚南贝尔马以12分排名J1联赛的最后一名。而且，他们本赛季到目前为止一直处于糟糕的状态。上周客场0 - 6惨败于萨根-托苏，他们需要在这场比赛中努力反弹。他们将在本周中的比赛中寻求四月初以来的首胜。不过我还是希望主队能赢，原因如下:

首先。浦和红钻以更高的精神进入比赛，我认为他们很有可能在埼玉球场夺得冠军。他们在所有比赛中都保持了十场不败。他们拥有J1联赛中并列最好的防守记录，17场比赛只丢了13个球。在波兰主帅斯科尔扎的带领下，这支球队在最近5场比赛中只丢了2球。他们只比第三名少赛一场的球队少5分;并准备在今天下午击败尚南·贝尔梅尔来缩小差距。

其次。而肖南·贝尔梅尔的情况则完全相反。他们本赛季经历了一场噩梦，目前在J1联赛积分榜上垫底，自赛季开始至今的17场比赛中只赢了两场。雄南最近的状态很糟糕，客队在过去的8场联赛中7负1平。最近的一次失利发生在四天前，这是一场艰难的比赛，周末，韩国队在主场以0比6输给了萨根·托苏。到目前为止，他们的防守状态很糟糕，主队将会利用这一点。

浦和红钻本赛季一直是一支不可忽视的力量，但最近几周却表现不佳。他们有一个强大的阵容，他们是纸面上更好的球队。考虑到两队之间的实力差距和他们的状态对比，我希望浦和红钻能在主场获胜。