Recap
Vissel Kobe travel to South Korea to face Daejeon in the third round of the ACL League Stage, facing significant squad problems that have complicated their preparations. Head coach Skibbe has openly acknowledged the extent of the injury crisis as he can’t count on 9 players – Thuler (12/1), Osako (10/6 top scorer), Takahashi (8/1), Iwamoto (8/0), Iino (6/0), Erik (5/1), Hamasaki (2/0), Haruya Ide (2/0) and Sasaki (1/0), which has forced him to call up players from the club’s youth academy. In addition to the numerous absences, he highlighted the physical demands from exhausting schedule, with Kobe having to play three matches in just six days, as well as concerns regarding the condition of the pitches at the match venues. Their recent domestic performances have also been far from convincing, as they suffered an away defeat against Kawasaki Frontale before being fortunate to secure a point at home against Machida.
Daejeon is enjoying an excellent run of form, having gone unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions, recording six victories and three draws (6-3-0). The South Korean side are particularly strong on home soil, where they have not suffered a defeat since May 2026. The hosts have a promising opportunity to take advantage of the visitors difficult circumstances.