Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0 - 1 Albirex Niigata

The number of clean sheets, or matches a team has without conceding a single goal, in a competition is a strong indicator of how well their defence is playing. The more times a team can completely keep their opponents from scoring, the more likely it is the team’s actual ability rather than just random chance.

We keep track of all the clean sheet information here, and these are the stats for Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Albirex Niigata:

• Sanfrecce Hiroshima has played 27 matches and kept opponents from scoring a single goal in 11 of them. In other words, they have kept a clean sheet in 41% of their matches.
• In 14 home matches in the J. League, Sanfrecce Hiroshima has had 5 matches without conceding a goal. Albirex Niigata has played 27 matches and has shut out opponents on 4 occasions. That means they have held clean sheets in 15% of their matches.
• In 13 home matches played in the J1 League, Albirex Niigata has had 2 matches without conceding a single goal. And away from home, they have a 15% clean sheet rate as the visiting side.

If both clubs have a high rate of keeping clean sheets, then there’s a decent chance of seeing a low-scoring battle between two strong defensive clubs. But for matches between clubs with low rates of clean sheets, then it’s fair to expect a goal or two.