Aiming to move into pole position at the expense of their opponents, Gamba Osaka will welcome title rivals Machida Zelvia to Panasonic Stadium for a vital J1 League clash on Sunday afternoon.
The Black and Blues come into this contest following the collection of a point against second-placed Kashima Antlers, whilst Zelvia shared the spoils at Vissel Kobe last time out.
Match preview
After finishing 16th in an 18-team division during 2023 - and avoiding relegation to the second tier by just five points - Gamba Osaka have been markedly improved in the 2024 edition of the J1 League, with Sunday's hosts now battling to lift their first Japanese title since 2014.
The Black and Blues managed to extend their unbeaten run in the division to nine matches on Wednesday night, when Gamba visited the home of fellow title contenders Kashima and returned to Suita with a share of the points, as both Tomoki Hayakawa and Jun Ichimori performed admirably to come away with clean sheets.
Having avoided defeat since the narrow one-goal loss at Avispa Fukuoka on May 3, Gamba are within striking distance of their opponents on Sunday ahead of an all-important clash at Panasonic Stadium, with this weekend's hosts sitting in third place, just two points off the summit of the J1 League standings.
Collecting a sensational tally of 22 points from their nine home league contests in 2024 - and tasting defeat on just the single occasion - the Black and Blues should be extremely confident of recording a positive result in Suita against Machida, who have never posted a win in this fixture.
Following a three-year adventure in the top two tiers of German football with Augsburg and Fortuna Dusseldorf, Takashi Usami has returned to Japanese football and is setting the division alight this year, with the 32-year-old bagging seven goals in 20 J1 League matches to date.
Having plied their trade in the non-league system of Japan within the last 20 years, Machida Zelvia's rise to the top of the country's club game is nothing short of sensational, with last season's second-tier winners in with a real chance of recording back-to-back league titles.
After the excitement of a highly-successful debut in J1 League so far, supporters of Zelvia have been forced to sit through consecutive goalless draws as the June schedule nears its conclusion, allowing Gamba loanee Kosei Tani to take his clean-sheet tally from six to eight.
Regardless of the meteoric rise enjoyed by Machida recently, it must be said that the club were marooned in the middle of the second division prior to the arrival of Go Kuroda in January 2023, but since the 54-year-old has taken Sunday's visitors to the next level and beyond, losing only 12 of his 67 matches in charge across all competitions.
Unusual for a team operating in a higher division for the first time, Machida have been extremely efficient on their J1 League travels so far in 2024, winning seven and collecting 23 points from 10 games away from their Machida Gion base - three more away points than any other side in the division.
Adding to the marvel of their current title charge, the man leading the attacking antics for Zelvia this year is only just making the step up from the second tier, with 23-year-old Shota Fujio bagging seven strikes in 16 contests, one fewer than he managed in the entirety of Machida's promotion-winning campaign during 2023.
Team News
After helping massively in Gamba's successful quest to keep a clean sheet last time out, Shota Fukuoka and Shinnosuke Nakatani will retain their places at the heart of the hosts' backline.
The Black and Blues could opt to make some alterations to their forward line after firing a blank versus Kashima, with the likes of Brazilian Juan and Issam Jebali pushing for starts.
Having now featured in club football across three continents, Welton adds an attacking flair on the left wing for Gamba and should keep his spot in the XI for Sunday.
Unable to feature against his parent club, goalkeeper Tani will be restricted to a watching brief this weekend, meaning that second-choice stopper Koki Fukui is set to earn only his third appearance of the J1 League campaign for Machida.
After being hooked off at the half-time interval during the trip to Vissel Kobe, midfielder Kazuki Fujimoto could drop out of the XI to make room for Chilean winger Byron Vasquez.
Gamba Osaka possible starting lineup:
Ichimori; Handa, Nakatani, Fukuoka, Kurokawa; Lavi, Suzuki, Yamashita, Sakamoto, Welton; Usami
Machida Zelvia possible starting lineup:
Fukui; Mochizuki, Dresevic, Shoji, Hayashi; Hirakawa, Shibato, Shimoda, Vasquez; Erik, Fujio
We say: Gamba Osaka 1-1 Machida Zelvia
With vital ground at stake in the race for the J1 League title, we are expecting a hard-fought affair between Gamba and Machida at Panasonic Stadium on Sunday.
The Black and Blues are enjoying a marvellous unbeaten run that we feel will continue this weekend, but Zelvia should be good enough to snatch a point in Suita.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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