KŌCHI (Interstat) — Kōchi will host Ōsaka in J3 League action on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, as the home side looks to steady its season against a visiting team that has yet to lose. Ōsaka enters with three wins, no losses and four draws across all competitions, while Kōchi has one win, four losses and two draws. The matchup pits Ōsaka’s unbeaten form against Kōchi’s search for consistency.

Sho Sumida is a player to watch for Ōsaka. The midfielder scored in each of the team’s past two matches, a 4-1 win over Fukushima and a 2-1 win over Ehime, playing 90 minutes in both. He also went 89 minutes in a 0-0 draw at Matsumoto and 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw at Renofa. In Ōsaka’s most recent result, a 4-1 home win over Fukushima on Sept. 18, Sumida was among the scorers along with Takahiro Kitsui and Rikuto Kubo. Ōsaka’s other recent results include a 2-1 home win over Ehime on Sept. 14, scoreless draws at Matsumoto on Sept. 5 and at Renofa on Aug. 30, a 2-2 home draw with Ryūkyū on Aug. 22, a 4-2 home win over AC Nagano Parceiro on Aug. 16, and a 1-1 draw at Tottori on Aug. 8.

Yudai Murata is a player to watch for Kōchi. The goalkeeper played 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss at Thespa Gunma on Sept. 19, a 1-1 home draw with Zweigen on Sept. 13, and a 2-0 loss at Tochigi on Sept. 5. He did not appear in a 2-0 home loss to Roasso. In Kōchi’s most recent match, Murata, Daichi Kobayashi and Ryuta Fujimori each played 90 minutes in the 1-0 defeat at Thespa Gunma. Kōchi’s other results this season include the 1-1 draw with Zweigen, a 2-0 loss at Tochigi, a 2-0 home loss to Roasso, a 2-1 home win over Kamatamare on Aug. 23, a 7-0 loss at Gifu on Aug. 15, and a 0-0 home draw with Matsumoto on Aug. 8.

Ōsaka will next travel to Sagamihara on Oct. 3 before home matches against Zweigen on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10. Kōchi will visit Giravanz on Oct. 3 before hosting AC Nagano Parceiro on Oct. 10. Ōsaka then visits Giravanz on Oct. 17 and hosts Nara on Oct. 21 and Kagoshima on Oct. 24. Kōchi visits Renofa on Oct. 18 and Kagoshima on Oct. 21 before traveling to Tottori on Oct. 25. Both clubs continue J3 League play through November.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Ōsaka 2, Kōchi 1. Interstat’s ELO system projects Kōchi with a 58.5 percent probability to win.