Cerezo Osaka vs Urawa Red Diamonds Prediction: Sakura's Firepower May Tip The Scales!

Cerezo Osaka play host to Urawa Red Diamonds at Yodoko Sakura Stadium in the seventh round of the J1 League. Osaka are 18th in the league standings and are one point behind Urawa in 17th place.

Let's head into the match preview to find the best odds on the Cerezo Osaka vs. Urawa Red Diamonds game and my expert picks to place your bets.

Cerezo Osaka

Form: LDDLL

Cerezo Osaka gave a good account of themselves in the J1 League curtain raiser when they beat Gamba Osaka in a seven-goal thriller at Suita City Stadium. In that match, they won 5-2. Youngster Sota Kitano was a menace to Gamba's defence scoring a brace.

The flame has flickered and the fire has gone out since that historic win. Sakura went on to lose two consecutive league games against Shonan Bellmare and Kashiwa Reysol by a 2-1 scoreline. This 

They followed up on this with two straight draws including a 1-1 home draw against Nagoya Grampus before the international break. However, they did manage to restore their confidence with a commanding 5-1 away victory over third-tier Kamatamare Sanuki in the first round of the J. League Cup—this was about a week ago.

Urawa Red Diamonds

Form: DWLLD

Maciej Skorża's Urawa Red Diamonds have been very poor in the opening six games of the J1 League. Their boisterous fans, who thought their club would see a change of fortunes under the management of Skorża, have now set their expectations low.

The Reds kicked of the 2024-25 J1 League campaign with a four-match winless run recording two draws and two losses. Matchday five is where they registered their first win of the season by dispatching newly-promoted Fagiano Okayama in a 1-0 home victory. 

This was followed by a 1-1 away draw against Kashima Antlers before the international break. It appeared they were heading for their second consecutive league win when they conceded a late Taishi Matsumoto to see the spoils being shared.

Match Facts

• Cerezo Osaka has seen four of their last six matches in the J1 League end with over 2.5 goals.
• Urawa Red Diamonds has preserved just two clean sheets in their last six J1 League games.
• Cerezo Osaka has yet to win a home match in their last two encounters.
• Urawa Red Diamonds is currently on a three-match losing streak in this fixture.

Head-To-Head

In the last 46 meetings, Cerezo Osaka has won 20 times, Urawa Red Diamonds has won 16 times, and there have been 10 draws with the goal difference being 70-63 in favour of Cerezo Osaka.

Expert Betting Tips

Cerezo Osaka has taken confidence from their triumph over third-tier Kamatamare Sanuki in the J. League Cup, and I'm expecting them make life difficult for Urawa Red Diamonds. It even gets better knowing that they have the upper hand in this fixture. If I were you, I wouldn't be too quick to write them off from causing an upset. 

Urawa Red Diamonds has lost three consecutive matches in this fixture. This is a side that is still searching for it's first away win since 2019. 

The last time these two sides met, the match ended in a 1-0 away win in favour of Cerezo Osaka. However, given that the home team has been clinical in the final third this season, I'm expecting this to be a high-scoring affair when all is said and done.

Our main prediction for the match: Total - Over 2.5 for 1.98 with 1xbet.

2nd prediction: Draw No Bet - Cerezo Osaka for 1.90 with Bet365.

3rd prediction: Both Teams To Score - Yes for 1.69 with Betway.