Yokohama Marinos, who finished second last season, are having a terrible campaign this year. They currently sit 12th in the J1 League, with almost no chance of reaching the top three, which is a minimum expectation given that they have one of the best squads in the league. Due to their poor league performance, this Cup presents a great opportunity for them to salvage their season, along with their participation in the AFC Champions League.

Last season, they reached the semi-finals of the Cup, losing to Urawa after conceding a late goal in the 91st minute. No squad rotations are expected, so they will field their best lineup, including high-quality players like last season’s J1 top scorer, Anderson Lopes (22 goals), and winger Yan Matheus. Yokohama has several Brazilians who bring a lot of quality to the team and are difficult to stop, such as winger Elber. Anderson Lopes, in particular, is a real nightmare for defenses and is in great form this season as well, with 19 goals in 31 games, currently the league’s second-top scorer.

I expect Yokohama to be highly motivated in this first leg, especially since the second leg away will be more challenging. In the league, they lost 2-1 in Nagoya.

On the other hand, Nagoya is a very average team whose goal is simply to secure a mid-table finish. This season, they are 9th in the table, far from both relegation and the top three, so they have little pressure.

Their squad is relatively weak, with few international players. The most notable player is Danish striker Kasper Junker, who, despite being their best player, has only scored 4 goals in 16 games this season. Brazilian striker Patric is also out of form, with just 5 goals in 30 games. While Nagoya is a solid team, they lack the same quality and finishing power that Yokohama Marinos possess.

They also have good history in this Cup: winners in 2021, 1/4 finals in 2022 and 1/2 finals in 2023.

Nagoya has struggled away from home this season, suffering 9 defeats in 16 games. Yokohama has the superior quality, and I expect them to be highly motivated for this home game. The second leg may be a different story, but I consider them the favorites here.

上个赛季获得第二名的横滨马里诺斯今年的表现很糟糕。他们目前在J1联赛中排名第12位，几乎没有机会进入前三，这是一个最低的期望，因为他们拥有联赛中最好的阵容之一。由于他们在联赛中的表现不佳，本届杯赛为他们提供了一个很好的机会来挽救他们的赛季，同时他们也参加了亚冠联赛。

上个赛季，他们进入了世界杯半决赛，在第91分钟的最后时刻被浦和队丢球，输给了浦和队。由于没有阵容轮换，所以他们将派出最好的阵容，包括上赛季的J1最佳射手安德森·洛佩斯(22球)和边锋扬·马休斯等高素质球员。横滨有几个巴西人，他们给球队带来了很多质量，很难被阻止，比如边锋埃尔伯。尤其是安德森·洛佩斯，他是防守的噩梦，本赛季他的状态也很好，在31场比赛中打入19球，目前是联盟第二射手。

我希望横滨在第一回合会有很高的动力，尤其是在第二回合客场会更具挑战性的情况下。在联赛中，他们在名古屋以2比1输掉了比赛。

另一方面，名古屋是一支非常普通的球队，他们的目标只是确保进入中游。本赛季，他们在积分榜上排名第九，离保级和前三都很远，所以他们几乎没有压力。

他们的阵容相对较弱，几乎没有国际球员。最引人注目的球员是丹麦前锋卡斯帕·容克，尽管他是他们最好的球员，但本赛季他在16场比赛中只进了4球。巴西前锋帕特里克也状态不佳，30场比赛只进了5球。虽然名古屋是一支稳固的球队，但他们缺乏与横滨游艇队相同的实力和终结力。

他们在这个杯赛上也有很好的历史:2021年的冠军，2022年的1/4决赛和2023年的1/2决赛。

名古屋本赛季在客场表现不佳，16场比赛输了9场。横滨队的实力更强，我希望他们在这场主场比赛中有很高的动力。第二回合可能是另一个故事，但我认为他们是最受欢迎的。