New Vissel Kobe player Andres Iniesta poses with his new shirt during a press conference at ANA Intercontinental Hotel on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: VCG

 
With an expensively assembled squad featuring World Cup winner Andres Iniesta and the Emperor's Cup gleaming in their trophy cabinet, Vissel Kobe will be among the favorites when the new J-League season kicks off on Friday.

But in a championship that has boasted seven different winners in the last 10 seasons and where teams are often evenly matched, predicting the outcome of the new campaign is as difficult as ever.

Fuelled by the fortune of billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, owner of online shopping giant Rakuten, Kobe are finally on a roll after a faltering start to their quest to establish themselves as one of the leading clubs in Asia.

Victory over Kashima Antlers in the final of the Emperor's Cup last season delivered the Thorsten Fink-led club's first major trophy and that success has boosted hopes of a maiden J-League title.

Despite a roster that features Iniesta and Thomas Vermaelen alongside Japan internationals Hotaru Yamaguchi and Gotoku Sakai, the unpredictable nature of the Japanese league means the eventual outcome remains anyone's guess.

"What I've learned from the J-League is that there are always surprising results," said former Barcelona defender Vermaelen, who joined Kobe in July.

"The most consistent team will always be champion and as long as we are consistent and defend well as a team, we might go far. But that doesn't guarantee us anything.

"It's definitely not easy to win the J-League title."

After a poor start, Vissel finished eighth in the league last season, 23 points behind Yokohama F Marinos, who won their first title in 15 years under Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's assistant Peter Cklamovski has taken over at Shimizu S-Pulse but his squad features few changes to the one that ground down long-term leaders FC Tokyo last year and they will no doubt be among the challengers again.

However, there has been a major change at eight-time champions Kashima, with Brazilian coach Antonio Carlos Zago replacing Go Oiwa, who stepped down after the challenge for a domestic and continental treble ran out of gas.

Stability will be the key for Kawasaki Frontale, who won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 but faltered last season to finish fourth, while three-time champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima will look to improve on last year's sixth-place finish.