At 6:15 PM on July 24th, Cerezo Osaka will host the Champions League runner-up Borussia Dortmund at the Nagai Stadium for a friendly match.
Cerezo Osaka suffered a 1-2 home loss to Albirex Niigata in the J1 League’s 24th round last weekend. The team’s set-piece defense displayed significant weaknesses. Players like Genki Hasegawa, Kanki Nagakura, and Yūji Ono, who are not known for their aerial prowess, had numerous easy headers on goal. This highlights Cerezo Osaka’s defensive shortcomings. Head coach Akio Kogiku expressed his disappointment after the loss, which ended the team’s nine-game unbeaten streak: “This was the club’s 30th anniversary match, but the result was very disappointing. We couldn’t learn from the previous game against Kawasaki Frontale, and we didn’t do enough pressing up front in many cases.”
Cerezo Osaka currently sits 6th in the J1 League table with a record of 9 wins, 10 draws, and 5 losses. They are two wins behind the title contenders and are likely to be in the race for the Asian Champions League spot this season. In 12 home games this season, Cerezo Osaka has an impressive record of 6 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses, ranking 3rd in the league for home scoring ability, only behind strong teams like Kashima Antlers and Gamba Osaka.
In terms of the lineup, Cerezo Osaka will be without the services of key defender Ryota Nishio. The young defender has joined the Olympic team in Paris and will be included in the team’s starting lineup for the first round of the Olympics group stage. With Indonesian center-back Habibie leaving the team early after his loan spell ended, Akira Toriumi and Sho Funaki are likely to partner as the center-back duo in this match. Additionally, new signing Ryoma Yamazaki, who joined the team during the transfer window, is available for selection. Belgian winger Wout Faes left the team last week, leaving Cerezo Osaka with only four foreign forwards in their squad: Capixaba, Ceará, Fernandes, and Bueno.
Dortmund finished the last Bundesliga season with a record of 18 wins, 9 draws, and 7 losses, securing a spot in the Champions League for the 24/25 season. In the 23/24 Champions League, Dortmund emerged as a dark horse, reaching the final before losing 0-2 to Real Madrid, finishing as runners-up. Such a result is commendable considering their participation in multiple competitions. However, the team experienced an unexpected change in personnel during the off-season. Head coach Edin Terzić surprisingly announced his departure, with his assistant coach Nuri Şahin taking over the reins. This marks Şahin’s second head coach position after previously leading Turkish club Antalyaspor.
For the lineup, Dortmund will be missing several key players including goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, defender Nico Schlotterbeck, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, and attackers Karim Adeyemi and Niclas Füllkrug. Additionally, new signings Anton and Gjirasi did not travel to Asia for the commercial games. However, the good news is that Dortmund will welcome the return of attacker Gio Reyna for this match. The American attacker will fly to Asia to rejoin the team after completing his Copa América journey. Dortmund suffered a 0-4 defeat against Thai side Buriram United in their previous match on July 21st with a semi-main squad, highlighting a lackluster performance.
While the two teams have never met before, Cerezo Osaka captain Shinji Kagawa is expected to return from injury and start in this match against his former team. After a disappointing result in Thailand, Dortmund may opt to field their strongest lineup in this match. Can they successfully overcome Cerezo Osaka and showcase their strength to the Japanese fans?
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