Gamba to take out Top Team!

Vegalta Sendai – FW Akamine is hoping to be considered fit.

Gamba Osaka – RB Kaji is out for at least six weeks with ligament damage. RB/LB Eduardo – yet to play for Gamba – broke a leg in training! FW Kawanishi is making a slow recovery from a leg fracture and may resume full training soon.

Gamba Osaka (P9 W2 D1 L6 GD -9) won two-in-a-row to halt the slide – dispatching S-Pulse and Frontale – but then went down to Antlers and Ardija, although the management seemed satisfied with the performance against Ardija, if not the result. Gamba are in a period of change, big change! The old guard are being phased out and the youngsters, and new signings are not yet making a team, but it will come. When the likes of Terada, Kurata, Fujiharu, Abe, Sato, Takei and more gain experience, and get used to the systems, Gamba will rise again. Perhaps this match will be a new start!?

Vegalta Sendai (P10 W7 D2 L1 GD +12) lost their unbeaten record to a superb S-Pulse last time out and look beatable, especially now that theat record has been shot down. They may have Akamine back in the fold after injury, but Gamba have home support, and they know Sendai are not unbeatable and will be looking for blood. Don’t expect a clean sheet for Gamba, of course – that would be asking for too much. So expect a high scoring game and a WIN for GAMBA OSAKA!

Only six meetings between these two teams over the last decade , with Gamba winning three, Vegalta two, and the solitary draw.