The Japanese X-League, the top American football league in Asia, winds up its second round of play this weekend as the 0-1 Tokyo Gas Creators face the 0-0 Obic Seagulls in the fifth game of the shortened season.
The two teams faced each other once in 2019 with Obic winning easily 62-7.
Last week, Tokyo lost to the Panasonic Impulse 38-0while the Seagulls were idle.
These two teams along with the Fujitsu Frontiers, Elecom Kobe Finies, Panasonic Impulse, IBM Big Blue and Nojima Sagamihara Rise, are playing a three round regular season. Initially, the All Mitsubishi Lions were slated to compete but withdrew, hence the three cancelled games.
Tokyo Gas Creators v. Obic Seagulls, Nov. 8 14:00 (06:00 CET, 12 midnight ET)
The league has been organized into two groups, Block A and Block B. The seven teams will play every other week in three rounds and the Japan XBowl on December 15 in the Tokyo Dome.
The Obic Seagulls had an opening round bye while Tokyo was shut out 38-0 by the Panasonic Impulse.
In the loss, Gas Creators QB Shunta Wakabayashi threw for 94 yards while his backup, Hiroki Nakamoto threw for just 21. They will need far better numbers to have a chance in this game.
Expect Obic to be ready for this game with RB Taku Lee in the lineup along with QB Jimmy Laughrea who came to the Seagulls after two seasons with the Nojima Sagamihara Rise, where he completed 178 of 337 passes for 2,511 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Players Tokyo needs to keep an eye on include WR Aruto Nishimura and TE Holden. Obic had the stingiest defense in the league last year and will be led by LB Takuya Iwamoto and DE BJ Beaty.
Obic looks to be the clear favorite in this one.
Watch the game live here. Tokyo Gas Creators v. Obic Seagulls, Nov. 8 14:00 (06:00 CET, 12 midnight ET)