After defeating the rival Kashima Antlers 3-2 last weekend, Urawa head coach Guido Buchwald gave his Reds players a deserved two days off.

A little productive down-time could be just what Buchwald's men need because Saturday they embark on a weeklong battle-their sights set on the run toward a second-stage regular season title and the Nabisco Cup crown.

It will be a busy week of soccer for the Reds. The Nabisco Cup final kicks off Wednesday, sandwiched between weekend Rounds 11 and 12 of league games.

``I wanted the players to get some rest. We have a tough week ahead,'' Buchwald said. ``I want to let them revitalize their energy.''

The German coach added that his players have looked strong in recent games, having a dropoff in energy only in the closing minutes.

``I believe they have enough stamina to see them through the coming games,'' he added.

Buchwald said his team is taking it one game at a time. He said the Reds will not think about the Nabisco Cup until after Saturday's game against Cerezo Osaka at Nagai Stadium.

``I told my players to forget about the (Nabisco Cup) final until the Cerezo game has ended,'' he said. ``The most important game is always the next one.''

Reds Turkish defender Alpay Ozalan will be out the next two league matches through suspension and too many yellow cards. But Buchwald isn't worried.

``His absence shouldn't hit us too hard,'' Buchwald said. ``We have a plenty of good defenders that come come off the bench like Hideki Uchidate and Satoshi Horinouchi.''

Fifteenth placed Cerezo should be easy prey for the front-running Reds, but Urawa is not taking anything for granted.

``Even though Cerezo are struggling around the bottom of the standings, we cannot think too much about it,'' said midfielder Keita Suzuki. ``Cerezo have strong potential on attack with Yoshito Okubo and Akinori Nishizawa. If they get into gear, we might not be able to stop them.''

Marcus Tulio Tanaka added: ``Stopping Okubo will be difficult. The game will be an aggressive, less defensive one. It should be exciting.''

In other Saturday games, the Antlers will meet the Yokohama F Marinos at Kashima Stadium while Shimizu S-Pulse will face Nagoya Grampus Eight at Nihondaira Stadium.

Oita Trinita will play Vissel Kobe at Oita Stadium, while Tokyo Verdy 1969 will take on Jubilo Iwata at Ajinomoto Stadium.

In a big match Sunday, Gamba Osaka and JEF United Ichihara, both five points behind the Urawa Reds, will clash at Ichihara Stadium. The winner should derail the title hopes of the loser.

Also Sunday, Sanfrecce Hiroshima will meet F.C. Tokyo at Hiroshima Big Arch.

Saturday's Albirex Niigata-Kashiwa Reysol game at Niigata Stadium has been postponed due to damage caused by the series of earthquakes that recently rocked the Chuetsu area of Niigata Prefecture.

The J.League said late Friday it will make a donation of 10 million yen for the victims of the quakes.(IHT/Asahi: October 30,2004) (10/30)