Sagan Tosu vs Gamba Osaka

Ekimae Real Estate Stadium sets the stage for a lopsided J1 League encounter between relegation-battling Sagan Tosu and title hopefuls Gamba Osaka.

Tipped for a season-long fight against the drop, Sagan Tosu could be on the verge of defying the odds after back-to-back league wins against more heavily fancied Yokohama F. Marinos and Albirex Niigata catapulted them outside the bottom three. Tosu’s confidence received another boost in midweek Emperor’s Cup action as they humbled Yokohama FC 3-1 at home, marking the second consecutive game in which they’ve netted 3+ goals. However, there’s no room for complacency. Only two points separate Kenta Kawai’s side from 18th-placed Kyoto at the beginning of this round, indicating the relegation threat is imminent despite their mini-revival. Interestingly, only one of Tosu’s 11 home league matches has ended level (W4, L6), rendering a repeat of a 1-1 draw in last season’s corresponding fixture unlikely.

On the other hand, Gamba Osaka squeaked past lower-league Tegevajaro Miyazaki 2-1 in the Emperor’s Cup during the week to consolidate their uptick in form following a 4-0 demolition of J1 League strugglers Yokohama last weekend. Despite starting this round on the periphery of the coveted top-three, a first top-flight title since 2014 remains a distinct possibility for Gamba as they trail table-topping Machida Zalvia by only five points. Part of the reason for the visitors’ inability to close that gap is their notorious struggle with inconsistent performances away from home (W4, D4, L3). However, Dani Poyatos’ men have recently gone from strength to strength on the road, racking up a five-game unbeaten run (W3, D2). It’s worth noting that they’ve kept four clean sheets in that sequence.