Mito Hollyhock vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Prediction

Recent form tells contrasting stories

Looking across their recent matches in all competitions, Hiroshima have won eleven of twenty, drawn three and lost six, scoring 37 and conceding 24 along the way. That's a club doing the winning regularly and finding the net with some consistency.

Mito Hollyhock: 20 completed matches; Sanfrecce Hiroshima: 20 completed matches.

Mito Hollyhock

20 matches

Win

20% 4 / 20

Draw

30% 6 / 20

Loss

50% 10 / 20

Scored

21

Conceded

31

Difference

-10

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

20 matches

Win

65% 13 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

20% 4 / 20

Scored

40

Conceded

19

Difference

+21

Mito's equivalent sample reads very differently: three wins, seven draws and ten losses, with 22 scored against 33 conceded. Draws have been a recurring theme, and they've lost more than they've won by some distance.

Hiroshima's attacking output across this sample is considerably higher than Mito's, and the win-loss balance favours them heavily.

Comparative Team Statistics: Mito Hollyhock vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima

History offers little to go on

The only recorded meeting between these two came back in 2014 in the Emperor Cup, when Hiroshima beat Mito 1-0 as hosts. That's a single result from a knockout competition over a decade ago, involving different squads and circumstances entirely.

The table gap is significant

Hiroshima currently sit third in the J1 League with 17 points from eight games, built on five wins, two draws and just one defeat. Their goal difference of plus-fourteen backs up how comfortably they've been performing.

Mito are down in 13th on nine points from the same number of matches, with only two wins to their name. Their goals for and against are level at eleven apiece, which suggests tight, low-scoring afternoons rather than heavy beatings either way.

The league table lines up with the general form picture: Hiroshima are the much stronger side on current standing.

Where the goals have come from

Hiroshima's scoring has been spread around a bit: A. Suzuki leads the way with six goals in eight matches, and S. Haller has added three in six. M. Kato has been their main creator, setting up three goals.

Mito Hollyhock:

Best scorers:

A. Watanabe - 5

Best assist providers:

Y. Torikai - 2

Penalty cards:

Y. Kimoto x 2

Sanfrecce Hiroshima:

Best scorers:

A. Suzuki - 6

S. Haller - 3

Best assist providers:

M. Kato - 3

A. Suzuki - 2

S. Higashi - 2

Penalty cards:

A. Suzuki x 2

Mito's threat looks more concentrated around A. Watanabe, who has five goals in eight appearances, with Y. Torikai chipping in a couple of assists. Both sides have a player carrying two yellow cards, Suzuki for Hiroshima and Y. Kimoto for Mito, though that's routine discipline rather than anything to worry about.

Hiroshima's goals come from more than one source, while Mito lean heavily on a single main threat.

Can Mito make home advantage count?

Mito's home matches in this sample have often been tight, draw-heavy affairs rather than one-sided losses, so there's some sign they can make life awkward on their own turf even while sitting low in the table.

Hiroshima haven't been flawless either. Their broader sample includes a couple of rough away days, including a heavy 4-0 loss and a 1-0 defeat, so the gap in quality doesn't guarantee a straightforward afternoon for them.