Aiming to further extend their advantage at the summit of the standings, league leaders Machida Zelvia will welcome Nagoya Grampus to Machida Gion Stadion on Saturday afternoon for a J1 League clash. Zelvia's unbeaten run continued last time out with an eventually-comfortable success at Gamba Osaka, whilst the Grampus Eight suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of Cerezo Osaka. Following a surprise 3-1 home defeat to mid-table dwellers Albirex Niigata on June 1, Machida Zelvia have got their unlikely quest for the J1 League crown back on track in commendable fashion, building up a four-game unbeaten streak, including a 3-1 win at Gamba Osaka last weekend.
The visitors were staring only their fifth loss of the league campaign in the face when Brazilian Welton opened the scoring for Gamba, but the first-half dismissal of Osaka right-back Riku Handa changed the complexion of the contest, with Zelvia going on to net three courtesy of Mitchell Duke , Shota Fujio and Keiya Sento . Maximum points at the Panasonic Stadium - coupled with a Kashima Antlers loss at Vissel Kobe - represented a perfect weekend for Machida as they aim to lift the Japanese crown for the first time in their history, with Saturday's hosts now five points ahead at the top of the table. Strangely, Zelvia have only collected 17 of their 43 league points so far at Machida Gion Stadion, leaving them sixth in the home table, with four of their last five defeats across all competitions coming in front of t.
