The 2009 J. League title race looked like it would turn into a cakewalk when Kashima Antlers stretched ahead of the pack earlier in the season, but history tells us nothing can ever be taken for granted.
The championship has gone down to the final day every year since the single-league format was introduced in 2005, and with Kawasaki Frontale now leading Antlers by a single point going into the last three games, it would take a brave man to bet against that happening again.
Gamba Osaka trail Antlers by a further three points, and while another five teams have at least a mathematical chance of winning the title, the top three are holding all the aces.