After a disappointing loss to Korean FA Cup Winners, Daegu FC in the opening round of the Asian Champions League, Melbourne Victory will now travel to Japan to meet their next opponents, Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

As well as being a homecoming event for Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda, Victory will be desperate to get the three points to put themselves in a stronger position in what is now a difficult group.

Sanfreece are also reeling off a loss in the ACL, though the circumstances surrounding their defeat are dubious at best, so this might be an easier than expected game for the Australian champions.

Here’s an in-depth look at Hiroshima’s 2018 season as well as a tactical breakdown of what the Japanese team play like.

2018 Season

After finishing 15th in 2017, very few expected Hiroshima to reach the top half of the table, let alone make a serious run for the Asian Champions League places — but that’s exactly what they did.

Hiroshima finished second in the league, in the end not being able to maintain the pace of the eventual champions Kawasaki Frontale in the title race, however, it was still a great success for the team.

A lot of their priority was on the league, as without Asian Champions League and a disappointing cup run that saw them bow out in the fourth round of the Emperor’s cup, they had little else to focus on.

Sanfrecce have never made it past the round of 16 in the Champions League and with a gracious group where every team has a chance of getting out, they would be well served to put in an effort in the tournament.

Player to watch out for

For a team that came second in the league, Hiroshima are not that prolific when it comes to scoring, only putting 47 goals away, the eighth in the league.

Their striker Patric though is really the only dependable scorer the team has and carries a huge weight on his shoulder because of it. Last year, he ended the season with 20 of the team’s goals, 43% of the team’s total amount and the second highest goal-scoring tally in the league.

The Brazilian journeyman has found his home at Hiroshima and he’s almost always on the scoreboard for his side. Patric enjoys running in behind the defence and using his pace to exploit high defensive lines while putting the killer blow with his excellent finishing.

Kevin Muscat will have a difficult time in containing the outstanding striker, but if he can get it right, he will be confident that his team can keep a clean sheet and strike on the other end.

Tactical overview

Managed by the 57-year-old Hiroshi Jofuku, Hiroshima is one of the more unique teams in the tournament that regularly play with a back three, which gives license to their wing-backs to be more aggressive.

Therefore, a lot of their attacking play goes through the wings via the full-backs Yoshifumi Kashiwa and new Swedish signing Emil Salomonsson as they burst up and down the channel for the full 90 minutes.

With their aggressive runs, they overload their side of the pitch as the wide forwards will help in double-teaming the opposition full-back with their young but talented midfielders Taishi Matsumoto and Hayao Kawabe also helping out when needed.

After doing so, they’ll either cross the ball in for Patric who is ruthless when in front of goal or quickly interchange between the players near the ball to open up defences and move in behind.

Essentially, a lot of their play relies on stretching opposition defences and then using their numerical advantage in positions to open up positions and prompt goal-scoring opportunities.

Jofuku is not someone obsessed with possession stats and it’s seen in the way his team plays, with only an average of 46% of the ball last season. When they do take shots with their limited possession though, they make it count, with the second highest rate for shots on target in the J League.

The dedication of the full-backs though, can be both a blessing and a curse because if they lose the ball they can be caught on the counter. If they lose the ball from in a dangerous position, with the wing-backs so far up there is ample space for oppositions to move the ball quickly.

A team like Victory will be adept at exploiting this as they have wingers who will be willing to quickly attack when countering and exploit the space left behind the full-backs.

What will be harder for the Melbourne forwards though, and especially the wingers, will be tracking back and supporting their full-backs so they don’t get outnumbered when Hiroshima inevitably attack through the wide channels.

Miscellaneous facts

Sanfrecce stumbled through qualifications to the Asian Champions League as they beat Thai FA Cup winners Chiangrai United in penalties to qualify for the tournament.

34-year-old Kosei Shibasaki is a veteran winger for Hiroshima and was the best creator for his team last season with eight assists.

Three games into their season, Hiroshima is so far undefeated with one win and two draws.

Last week, Sanfreece lost 2-0 with their second-string side against Guangzhou Evergrande in the ACL, suggesting that the Japanese runner-ups may not be prioritising the tournament.

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