Albirex Niigata v Consadole Sapporo — prediction, stats and goal analysis

J2 League · Saturday, 15 August 2026 · 11:00. Final score 2–1 (half-time 1–1). Before kick-off we rated it 55% under 2.5 goals — the match finished with 3, so that call missed. That rating was frozen into a version-controlled ledger before the game and has not been touched since.

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Our ratings for this match

MarketYesNoOur call
Over 2.5 goals46%54%Under
Over 3.5 goals26%74%no pick
Both teams to score54%46%Yes

The result model puts Albirex Niigata at 46%, the draw at 27% and Consadole Sapporo at 27%, from expected goals of 1.42 and 1.03.

Bookmaker prices and where we differ

MarketPriceImpliedOur ratingEdge
Over 2.5 goals2.1045%46%+2%
Under 2.5 goals1.7055%54%-2%
Both teams to score1.8350%54%+4%

Implied percentages have the bookmaker's margin removed, so they add to 100 and can be compared with our rating directly. Edge is simply the gap between the two. A positive edge means our model thinks the outcome is likelier than the price suggests — it is not a tip, and a high probability with a negative edge is a poor bet however safe it looks. Prices are a pre-match snapshot from a single bookmaker and move constantly.

Match odds: Albirex Niigata 2.30, draw 3.25, Consadole Sapporo 3.00.

How we got this number

The league sets the starting point. J2 League has produced over 2.5 goals in 45% of its matches, and that is where a team with no record of its own would sit.

Each side's own record. Albirex Niigata have 0 in 1 this season, Consadole Sapporo 0 in 1. Those records are pulled toward the league rate with the weight of about 32 matches — enough that two or three unusual games cannot swing a rating — giving 43% and 43%.

Last season still counts, briefly. With 1 and 1 games played this season, last season's rates are still blended in and fade out entirely by game 14 — the point at which our testing showed they stop adding accuracy. That moves the two figures to 50% and 59%.

The mix. Weighted 40% home side, 40% away side and 20% league — the split that beat every alternative across 30,582 matches of testing — that gives 52%.

Head to head. These sides have met 2 times in three years, producing over 2.5 goals in 0%. That nudges the number 10% of the way toward the head-to-head pattern — deliberately small, because fixtures change more than reputations do — landing on 47%.

Goal expectation. Separately a Poisson model built from attack and defence strength — using real expected-goals data where the league has it — puts this match at 45%, from expected goals of 1.42 for Albirex Niigata and 1.03 for Consadole Sapporo. Folding in 30% of that view gives 46%.

This breakdown is generated from the same inputs the rating uses, so it cannot describe a calculation we did not perform. The full model is set out in the methodology.

Season form

TeamGamesO2.5O3.5BTTS
Albirex Niigata10%0%0%
Consadole Sapporo10%0%0%

Head to head

29 Jun 24Consadole Sapporo 0–1 Albirex NiigataU2.5
13 Apr 24Albirex Niigata 1–1 Consadole SapporoU2.5
15 Jul 23Consadole Sapporo 0–1 Albirex NiigataU2.5
4 Mar 23Albirex Niigata 2–2 Consadole SapporoO2.5

More: Consadole Sapporo season stats · J2 League table and form. Ratings are calibrated probabilities, not tips — a 60% call is expected to miss two times in five.