It’s been a phenomenal season for Gamba Osaka, who have climbed to the upper reaches of the table and find themselves in the thick of the title race. Now, every match is massive as they chase their first Meiji Yasuda J1 League crown in a decade - a championship challenge that continues on Wednesday at 19:00 JST when they meet FC Tokyo in a match that will be live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.
Gamba feature the league’s premier defense, having conceded just 18 goals through 24 matches, thanks to Jun Ichimori in goal and a backline anchored by the likes of Shinnosuke Nakatani and Keisuke Kurokawa.
That Gamba are a defense-driven team is astounding considering they conceded the most goals in J1 last season, but adding Ichimori and Nakatani into the mix has fit manager Dani Poyatos' system perfectly and completely transformed things in Suita.
For Gamba to win the title, though, they'll need to get an attack sitting 16th in the league in goals to fire more regularly.
Takashi Usami has done his part with eight goals and five assists — both of which lead the club in another wonderful season for the Gamba academy product — but there are more parts that must be played. The continued growth of Isa Sakmoto could be the answer in Osaka, as the 20-year-old emerging star has shown flashes of brilliance with four goals on the campaign already.
FC Tokyo are a team that know a thing or two about pushing top young talents to the forefront. While 21-year-old midfield dynamo Kuryu Matsuki has recently traded the Japanese capital for England's south coast — he's moved to Southampton, though he will begin with a loan at Turkish club Göztepe — there are still plenty of #NextGenJLEAGUE stars on this team.
From recent Olympian Ryotaro Araki to the electric Soma Anzai, manager Peter Cklamovski has built a brand in Tokyo around a clear willingness to trust some of the youngest members of his squad.
It remains to be seen who will feature for FC Tokyo in Suita, but either way it should be a fascinating test for them against a premier defense, with all the action live on JLeague.co!
