Melbourne City vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima prediction, H2H and probable lineups - September 16, 2025
Ileana Sanchez
Dailysports's expert
On Tuesday, September 16, in the opening round of the AFC Champions League, Melbourne City will host Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Here's my pick for the winner in this clash.
Key facts and head-to-head history
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima are unbeaten in their last five matches.
- This is only the third time in history that Melbourne City are playing in the AFC Champions League group stage.
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima have lost just one of their last six away games.
- These teams have never faced each other before.
Match preview
Melbourne City are the reigning champions of Australia. Last season, Aurelio Vidmar's squad made it to the A-League final, where they edged out Melbourne Victory 1-0 in a derby showdown. This was only the second league title in the club's history, their first coming in 2021.
However, there isn't much optimism surrounding Melbourne City's prospects this season. Aurelio Vidmar's side did little to strengthen over the summer and, in fact, lost several key players. In July, the Australian champions were even knocked out of the national cup by amateur side APIA Leichhardt with a shock 0-2 defeat.
As for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the team finished as runners-up in the previous J-League campaign. The "Purples" led the table for a long stretch, and it seemed unthinkable they'd let the title slip. But they managed just three points in their final five matches and ultimately finished four points behind Vissel Kobe.
This season, 30 rounds of the J-League have already been played, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima currently sit sixth with 31 points. The table is so tight, though, that they trail leaders Kyoto by only four points. In their last outing, Sanfrecce Hiroshima drew 1-1 with Kyoto, following another 1-1 draw against Cerezo Osaka.
Probable lineups
- Melbourne City: Jamie Young, Scott Jamieson, Nuno Reis, Curtis Good, Taras Gomulka, Aiden O'Neill, Josh Brillante, Marco Tilio, Mathew Leckie, Andrew Nabbout, Jamie Maclaren
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima: Keisuke Osako, Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki, Tsukasa Shiotani, Shunki Higashi, Yotaro Nakajima, Satoshi Tanaka, Shuto Nakano, Kosuke Kinoshita, Ryo Germain, Naoki Maeda
Prediction: Melbourne City vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Melbourne City haven't played a competitive match in a while and lack experience at this level. Meanwhile, the Japanese side are in good rhythm, and their players possess a higher level of individual quality. I'm backing the visitors to take the win in this encounter.
