After the Yokohama F. Marinos dramatically won the first stage a month ago, the J. League Division One second stage is set to get underway Saturday.

Top title contenders are expected to be the Marinos, last year's second stage winner Shimizu S-Pulse, Kashiwa Reysol, Cerezo Osaka and J. League defending champion Jubilo Iwata.

The Marinos, guided by Argentine manager Ossie Ardiles, are aiming to sweep the season title by clinching the second stage. No club has won both stages since the J. League began in 1993 (the circuit had a one-stage format in 1996), as the first stage winners tend to sit back in the second stage. So the mental aspect of their game will be as much a key to their success as the technical part.

The Marinos feature many talented players such as Japan internationals Shunsuke Nakamura and Atsuhiro Miura in midfield. The team acquired former Croatia Zagreb defender Gran Juric, a member of Croatia's '98 World Cup team, to join Japan international Naoki Matsuda at the backline.

The Marinos will open their second-stage campaign with a visit to FC Tokyo, which finished sixth in the first stage in its first J1 season, at Tokyo's National Stadium on Saturday. Tokyo has bolstered its lineup by signing former Japan midfielder Tadatoshi Masuda from the Antlers.

Cerezo, second in the first stage, will seek its first-ever championship after narrowly missing the first stage title on the final day of play last month.

Japan forward Akinori Nishizawa showed great improvement in his game to inspire Cerezo's first stage showing along with attacking midfielder Hiroaki Morishima. Morishima scored 12 goals to Nishizawa's 10, making two-thirds of all the goals (34) the team scored in the first stage.

Cerezo's offense, paced by South Korea midfielders Yoon Jong Hwan and Noh Jung Yoon, is something to watch. If the team can shore up its defense, Cerezo may have a fruitful good stage. Cerezo will host title contender S-Pulse in its opening game on Saturday.

S-Pulse was third in the first stage -- just two points behind Yokohama despite the fact that Shimizu was hampered by injuries and a difficult schedule that included the Asian Cup Winners' Cup competition. That indicates the strength and the growth of this mature team.

Key players such as forwards Sotaro Yasunaga and Yoshikiyo Kuboyama and midfielder Teruyoshi Ito have fully recovered from their injuries. New signing Yasuhiro Yoshida from Sanfrecce and the rise of young forward Kohei Hiramatsu have added depth to the bench. But S-Pulse still has to remain healthy to go all the way. If Alex, last year's J. League MVP, can get his form back, he could inspire his team again. Reysol has good composure on the team around South Korea international Hong Myung Bo. The club acquired South Korea forward Hwang Son Hong, who won the J. League Golden Boot last season at Cerezo. Hwang's scoring power can help Kashiwa win in 90 minutes. Reysol marked the same record as the champion Marinos (10-0-5) in the first stage but missed four points by winning in extra time four times only to finish fourth. Reysol will host Jubilo at home on Saturday.

Jubilo (fifth) was on the way to get its new attacking form under manager Djoko Hadzievski, but looked confused from time to time in the first stage. The team struggled with a tough schedule that included the Asian Club Championship but now can focus on the league this stage.

Japan midfielder/defender Toshihiro Hattori has started training with the team after recovering from his broken jaw. The team inked Dutch goalkeeper Arno van Zwam from Fortuna Sittard and former Yugoslavia under-21 midfielder Aleksandar Zivkovic from Rad Beograd.

Kashima Antlers and Nagoya Grampus Eight will probably follow next in the title race.

For Nagoya (12th) it will be the final season with Yugoslavia forward Dragan "Pixy" Stojkovic, who announced his retirement after this season.

Kashima released former Brazil forward Bebeto due to his poor physical condition. But Atsushi Yanagisawa has come out of a slump after scoring two excellent goals for Japan against Bolivia in the recent Kirin Cup.

Verdy Kawasaki's South Korean forward Kim Hyun Seok is currently co-leading the scoring ranking along with Cerezo's Morishima with 12 goals in 14 matches.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Japan striker Tatsuhiko Kubo's return to the team after injury will boost Hiroshima's attack as the team has a solid defense, giving away 15 goals, the lowest among 16 teams in the division.

Vissel, which displayed good collective soccer in the first stage, aims to reach a better place than the club's best-ever seventh showing in the first stage.

Kyoto Purple Sanga (16th) fired former Japan manager Shu Kamo and promoted his assistant Gert Engels early this month.

Kawasaki Frontale (15th) dismissed Brazilian Zeca and promoted assistant former FC Tokyo man Toshiaki Imai late in the first stage. Paraguayan international Alvarenga left Frontale for injury treatment in Paraguay, but the side did acquire two Brazilians, attacking player Isidoro from Cruzeiro and defender Daniel from Sao Paulo. Avispa Fukuoka (14th), which showed some spirited play periodically, acquired former Flugels and Jubilo defender Koji Maeda from FC Tokyo. JEF United Ichihara (11th) and Gamba Osaka (13th) need to play with more consistency to avoid relegation.