Kashima and Kobe Face Thai Sides After Three Straight Wins; Kyoto Chase Third Victory in Vietnam [Preview: ACL Elite League Stage MD4]

Matchday 4 of the AFC Champions League Elite League Stage will be played on 3 and 4 November.

Leaders Kashima travel to Thailand to face Buriram United after winning their opening three matches. They cruised to a 3-0 victory over FC Pohang Steelers of Korea Republic last time out and have scored 11 goals while conceding just once. Another strong performance at both ends of the pitch will be expected.

Buriram remain winless after two draws and a defeat. They held Gamba Osaka to a 1-1 draw in their previous match, with former Kofu defender Eduardo Mancha scoring their goal. He will again be a player to watch.

Kobe also have three wins from three as they welcome Thailand's Ratchaburi FC. They edged Daejeon Hana Citizen FC of Korea Republic 1-0 last time out before beating Nagoya 3-1 in the J1 League over the weekend. Yoshinori Muto was involved in all three goals against Nagoya. Can he make a similar impact on the Asian stage?

Ratchaburi have yet to win, with one draw and two defeats. They held Kashiwa to a goalless draw despite coming under sustained pressure. Kobe will be looking to show the quality in front of goal needed to break down the visitors.

Third-placed Gamba Osaka travel to Korea Republic to face FC Pohang Steelers. Their 1-1 draw with Buriram last time out ended their hopes of making it three wins from three. Takashi Usami scored a superb direct free-kick to rescue a point and could again play a decisive role.

Pohang have lost all three of their matches so far, scoring just once. They have also struggled in their domestic league and recently changed managers. That change could spark a response, so Gamba will need to be wary.

Sixth-placed Kyoto visit Vietnam to take on Cong An Ha Noi FC after beating Newcastle Jets FC of Australia 5-2 for their second consecutive victory. Marco Tulio and Rafael Elias have both been finding their form and will be key figures in attack once again.

Cong An Ha Noi claimed their first win of the competition by beating Shanghai Port FC of China. Colombian forward Brayan Perea scored twice in that match and will pose a major threat to Kyoto's defence.

Kashiwa host Daejeon Hana Citizen FC after being held to a goalless draw by Ratchaburi. They created chances but struggled to convert them, and Mao Hosoya will be looking to open his account in the competition.

Daejeon lost to Kobe last time out and slipped to ninth place. However, their defence has been solid, as demonstrated by their clean sheet against Kyoto on Matchday 1. Kashiwa will look to use their possession-based style to create openings against the visitors' organised back line.