Mito will take on J2 champions FC Tokyo at home on Saturday, December 17, in the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup.
Manager Hashiratani stated that his goal was to win the Cup this year. It's an odd goal as opposed to league placement prediction, but so far he's done something no Mito fan has seen... Two straight victories against teams playing in J1 next year (Sapporo and Gamba Osaka), and with the win at Osaka, it was Mito's first defeat of a J1 side in a sanctioned match in the club's history.
If anything, Tokyo shouldn't be as rough as the Osaka match, but Mito couldn't beat Tokyo this year (although the home match was close to a draw). Not many would expect Mito to win this match but the same could have been said for the previous two...
In any case, after an exciting year in Japan's leagues, those wanting more still have good matches to check out on the 17th and beyond in the tournament. Of course my recommendation would be to visit K's Stadium, or to catch the game on SkyPerfecTV! as matches from the 4th round will be televised. This will be the only match not to feature a 2011 J1 side so the winner could be the last representative from outside the top division remaining.
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Should be a good game, with both teams having two weeks to prepare.
Takayuki Suzuki is suspended though, isn't he?
Should be a big away turnout, we're not taking you guys lightly but whoever gets through has a good chance to go further in the tournament with Ehime or Urawa up next.
All the best, and I'll probably do a preview on my blog http://on-the-gas.blogspot.com in the week before too.
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