On the 18th of March, Gamba Osaka will host Consadole Sapporo at Nishigaoka National Stadium in a clash of the J-League. The game day is forecasted to be a cloudy and cool day, with daytime temperatures of only 7 degrees, making for an unpleasant day. Gamba Osaka sits at 17th place in the tables. In their last match they recorded a 1-2 loss against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Ben Khalifa struck first for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the 2nd minute, then Usami tied it up for Gamba Osaka in the 70th minute on a feed from Fukuda. They’re hoping to improve on their recent performance, having lost 2 of their last 10, while in their last match, Consadole Sapporo recorded a 2-0 shutout win against Yokohama F. Marinos. scored the first goal for Consadole Sapporo in the 8th minute, then Yuki Kobayashi added another in the 77th minute In the end, Yokohama F. Marinos was frustrated by Consadole Sapporo’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Consadole Sapporo ended the match with the shutout victory. Consadole Sapporo is looking for direction having earned 11 points in their last 10 matches.
These two teams have not yet played each other this season, so it will be interesting how the match turns out. Last season Consadole Sapporo won the head to head battle with 1 win and 1 draw.
Ryota Aoki has been the most prolific scorer on Consadole Sapporo in his last five matches with two goals. Takashi Usami has been the most effective weapon for Gamba Osaka lately. The Japaneese midfielder has netted two goals in his last 5 matches.