Sanfrecce Hiroshima know they could not have won last year's J. League title without a bit of luck, but that will not stop the two-time defending champions from believing they can make it three in a row when the new season starts on Saturday.
Sanfrecce looked dead and buried when they headed into the final two games of last year's campaign five points behind leaders Yokohama F. Marinos and one behind Urawa Reds, but if Marinos thought they were going to be handed the title on a silver platter, they hadn't reckoned with Sanfrecce.
Instead, Marinos and Reds went into meltdown while Hajime Moriyasu's men calmly picked up maximum points from their last two fixtures, beating Kashima Antlers 2-0 on the final day to retain the trophy in dramatic style.