Vissel Kobe vs Jeonbuk Predictions
Vissel Kobe welcome Jeonbuk to Noevir Stadium for an AFC Champions League Elite encounter on Wednesday.
The hosts boast an excellent home record, and they should have the edge this week.
Vissel Kobe to win is my preferred pick, while I also fancy both teams to score.
Kobe Backed to Bounce Back
- Vissel Kobe have won 8 of their last 9 matches
- Vissel Kobe have won 7 of their last 8 home matches (AFC Elite, league phase)
- Vissel Kobe have seen BTTS in 4 of their last 6 matches
- Jeonbuk have seen BTTS in 6 of their last 7 matches
- Jeonbuk lost 2 of their last 4 matches
Vissel Kobe and Jeonbuk Set For Second Meeting
Vissel Kobe and Jeonbuk will meet for the second time on Wednesday. Jeonbuk won their only previous encounter with an extra-time victory in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals four years ago.
Vissel Suffer Rare J1L Setback
Vissel Kobe return to continental action after a disappointing 4-2 defeat at Kashiwa Reysol in the J1 League on Friday.
Michael Skibbe's side were three goals down before substitute Ren Komatsu pulled one back late on. Yusuke Segawa restored Kashiwa's three-goal advantage before Diego's late goal provided scant consolation for the visitors.
Despite the scoreline, Kobe carried plenty of attacking threat. The visitors had 56% possession and recorded an xG of 2.06 compared to Kashiwa's 1.87.
Last weekend's reversal broke Vissel's impressive eight-match winning run across all competitions. Before Friday's setback, Kobe had kept successive clean sheets in 1-0 wins against Gamba Osaka and Sagan Tosu.
Skibbe's men have been particularly reliable at home, winning each of their last five fixtures in Kobe.
Vissel also made a winning start to their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 2-1 victory at Port FC last month.
Jeonbuk Surrender Lead at Daejeon
Jeonbuk make the trip to Japan looking to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat at Daejeon Hana Citizen in the K League on Friday.
Tiago Orobo gave Jeonbuk the lead just before the interval, but two goals conceded in the second period ensured another fruitless road trip for Jung Jeong-yong's side.
Daejeon were good value for their victory at the World Cup Stadium. The hosts outshot Jeonbuk 19-10 and recorded an xG of 2.42 compared to the visitors' 0.90.
The K League 1 side have now failed to win their last four league fixtures, drawing twice and losing twice.
Despite their domestic struggles, Jeonbuk began their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 2-1 win against Kashiwa Reysol last month.
The Green Warriors return to the competition for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 2024. They lost three of their five away fixtures during that campaign.
Vissel Kobe vs Jeonbuk Team News
Vissel Kobe: (4-2-3-1) Daiya Maekawa; Gotoku Sakai, Tetsushi Yamakawa, Matheus Thuler, Diego; Yosuke Ideguchi, Issei Takahashi; Yoshinori Muto, Yuya Osako, Erik; Ren Komatsu.
Kobe boss Skibbe could make some changes after Friday's J1 League defeat. Ren Komatsu is in contention to earn a recall after scoring off the bench against Kashiwa.
Daiju Sasaki remains sidelined with a meniscus injury.
Jeonbuk: (4-2-3-1) Song Bum-keun; Kim Tae-hwan, Park Ji-soo, Cho Wi-je, Kim Tae-hyeon; Joao Gamboa, Kim Jin-gyu; Lee Dong-jun, Lee Yeong-jae, Lee Seung-woo; Tiago Orobo.
Jeonbuk boss Jung has a strong squad available for the trip to Japan. Andrea Compagno is the only confirmed injury absentee for the visitors.
In-form forward Tiago Orobo will continue to spearhead the Green Warriors attack. The Brazilian forward has scored four goals in his last three appearances.