The Prince Takamado Trophy will enter its 13th week of WEST on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September.

Fifth-placed Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Hiroshima), welcoming Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) at home, will look to gain three points and to survive in the title race as Araki Hayato expressing his enthusiasm, “we could go for the title if we win all the remaining matches.” Meanwhile, Gamba Osaka’s Iwamoto Kazuki says “our playing style as a team has become clearer,” and the league-leaders try to keep the top spot where they just took replacing Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) with the last win. That is going be worth watching.

Nagoya Grampus (Aichi) suffered their first consecutive losses of the season last week. Whether they can rebuild their defence, conceding 13 goals in the recent three matches, will be the key to win the upcoming fixture against Cerezo Osaka. The opposition Cerezo Osaka just announced their head coach Okuma Yuji would take over the top team as well. Despite the sudden organisational alteration, they want to keep themselves under control for the next match.

Vissel Kobe U-18 (Kobe) in a five-match winning streak will face Higashiyama High School (Kyoto). Kako Seiya said of his attacking side in form, “our possession football has been polished.” Led by Yonezawa Rei, capping a hat trick last week, their goal-scoring prowess has been enhanced and is expected for the further breakthrough. Higashiyama, sitting at ninth, have kept their positive attitude. Fukushige Eiki said “we all try to create a good mood during our practice.” To get out of jam, they have gotten their eyes on a victory.

Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 will face Kyoto Tachibana High School in the “Kyoto Derby.” Sanga won the last match-up 4-0, but both teams created plenty of chances to make it a closer match than its score sheet appears to be. Their contest is once more expected to be a must-watch until the end.

［Pick-up Match from WEST Week 13］
Toyama Daiichi High School vs Higashi Fukuoka High School

Toyama Daiichi High School (Toyama) and Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) will face each other, as the former won the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament last winter and the latter won the Inter High School Sports Festival this summer. While Toyama Daiichi is struggling among the bottom three in the standings, their collective efforts have been improved and their form has been better in the second half of the season. “The lack of common understanding of ourselves has been solved and clear understanding of our tactics has been well-organised,” said Nishimura Takuma. The opposing Higashi Fukuoka have not caught a momentum yet. “We haven’t been able to shift our mind from the 35-minute-half match to 45-minute-half match,” said head coach Morishige Junya. Let’s see whether upward Toyama Daiichi or slumbering Higashi Fukuoka, who originally have one of the best offences in the league, will win the contest and lead themselves to a higher position.

■Toyama Daiichi High School vs Higashi Fukuoka High School
Date: Saturday 13 September, kick-off at 11 am
Venue: Toyama Daiichi High School Ground
Access: 10 minute walk from “Ecchu Ebara Station” of Toyama Chiho Tetsudo Honsen

In addition to the match above, we offer an original neck strap of the tournament for the first 300 comers of the match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth vs Gamba Osaka Youth. Come and join us.

■Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth vs Gamba Osaka Youth
Venue: Yoshida Soccer Park
Access: Take JR Geibi Line from “Hiroshima” station to “Mukaihara” station. 20 minutes by taxi from Mukaihara station. Or Take Hiroden Bus (to Yoshida) for 80 minutes from Hiroshima Bus Centre and get off at “Yoshida Eigyosho.” 5 minutes by taxi from there. 10 minutes from Chugoku Expressway “Takada IC.”