Vissel Kobe aiming for strong finish to the J.League and compete in Asia

Japan's Vissel Kobe are looking to become one of Asia's leading football clubs in the near future.

The Japanese side made global headlines in May 2018 after signing Spain's World Cup winner Andres Iniesta. Since then, the club has gone on to land its first silverware in 2020 by winning the Emperor's Cup.

That also meant qualification for the AFC Champions League for the first time in their history, where they reached the semifinal, losing to eventual winners Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea.

Domestic league form however, has been a far tougher challenge. Their highest finish was in 2016, where they finished seventh. Vissel Kobe are currently fifth on 41 points after 23 matches, with Kawasaki Frontale at the top on 62 points after 24 matches.

With former Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic looking to join the team later this month, Vissel Kobe is expected to mount a strong finish to the season with 15 more matches to go.