Preview: Yokohama FC vs. Gamba Osaka - prediction, team news, lineups

Some remarkable form recently has taken Gamba from bottom place to a healthy distance away from trouble in a matter of weeks.

Match preview

After escaping relegation by just one point and one place last season, a similar scenario looked on the cards for Gamba after a start which saw them take just seven points from their first 14 games.

The side were cut adrift, four points behind Shonan who were second-bottom at the time after a run of eight defeats and a draw in nine games.

However, they now look in much better shape to avoid the drop, massively helped by a sensational run which has seen Gamba win four league games in a row - all against sides who started the day above them in the table.

Manager Dani Poyatos has done an excellent job to turn fortunes around after such a dreadful start in his first season with the club, and they will certainly be looking upwards rather than over their shoulder going forward.

Another huge bonus was the victory at local rivals Cerezo Osaka two weeks ago, which sealed top spot in their League Cup group, ensuring progression to the quarter-finals.

On top of the jubilant celebrations of being a bitter rival, the win came as a relief as it meant they are still alive in at least one cup competition, following their shock defeat at home to semi-professional fourth-tier outfit Kochi United in the first round of the Emperor's Cup earlier in June.

Meanwhile, for newly-promoted Yokohama, there has been no such upturn in fortunes, and they remain in deep trouble as the midway point has recently passed.

With the lowest-scoring attack in the division, only bottom-placed Shonan have conceded more than their 37 too.

The Yokohama faithful will have been hopeful that back-to-back cup wins in both the League and Emperor's Cups would have boosted morale, but they returned to league action with a defeat over Kyoto Sanga last weekend.

A 3-1 win away to high-flying Vissel Kobe ultimately meant nothing as they still crashed out at the group stage of the League Cup, but a win over Grulla Morioka confirmed their place in the second round of the Emperor's Cup.

However, another defeat on the league front extended Shuhei Yomoda's side's winless run to four games.

Yokohama had shown promising signs at the start of May, winning nine points from a possible 12, but they have followed that up by taking just one point from their last four matches.

It leaves them one point above the relegation place, as themselves, Shonan and Kashiwa Reysol have become cut adrift from the rest of the league.

Yokohama may find themselves fortunate that only one side will be relegated to the J2-League next season, as the league expands from 18 to 20 teams.

Yokohama FC J1 League form:

W

W

L

L

D

L

Yokohama FC form (all competitions):

Gamba Osaka J1 League form:

L

L

W

W

W

W

Gamba Osaka form (all competitions):

Team News

Koki Ogawa continues to be a big miss for Yokohama, as injury issues have meant he has started just one of the last eight matches.

Ogawa netted 26 goals in their promotion campaign, and had already notched a further six in 13 games, before injury seriously disrupted his season.

As well as Ogawa, who is set to miss this clash, Brazilian pair Caprini and Gabriel are also both out injured for the hosts, while Hirotaka Mita is suspended after receiving a red card from the bench last week.

Gamba will be without South Korean international Kwon Kyung-won who is sidelined with injury.

Their overseas trio Dawhan, Juan Alano and Issam Jebali have all played a crucial role in Gamba's recent resurgence, with them all tied on four goals each.

Jebali should return to the starting XI after being away on Tunisia duty, along with Neta Lavi, who featured in Israel's 2-1 win over Andorra last week.

Yokohama FC possible starting lineup:

Brodersen; Yoshino, Iwatake, Mateus; Yamane, Yuri Lara, Inoue, Hayashi; K Ogawa, Yamashita, Marcelo Ryan

Gamba Osaka possible starting lineup:

Higashiguchi; Handa; Miura, Fukoka, Kurokawa; Yamamoto, Dawhan, Lavi; Juan Alano, Jebali, Meshino

We say: Yokohama FC 1-3 Gamba Osaka

With two of the leakiest defences in the league on show, goals could be on the cards in this one.

Previews by email