Round 12 of the Japanese J1 League comes to an end on Wednesday when Gamba Osaka and Consadole Sapporo lock horns at the Panasonic Stadium, Suita.
The hosts head into the game on a three-march winless run across competitions as they look to end this dry spell.
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Gamba Osaka failed to arrest their slump in form last Friday, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at FC Tokyo.
They have now failed to taste victory in their last three outings across competitions, losing twice and playing out a goalless draw with Cerezo Osaka in the J League Cup.
Osaka have endured a slow start to the season and find themselves 14th in the J1 League table after picking up ten points from as many games.
Meanwhile, Consadole Sapporo returned to winning ways last time out, as they saw off a resilient Shonan Bellmare side 1-0 on home turf.
That followed a 2-1 defeat against Kashiwa Reysol in Group C of the J League Cup on April 23. With 13 points from ten games, Sapporo are tenth in the league table but could rise as high as sixth with all three points on Wednesday.
Gamba Osaka vs Consadole Sapporo Head-To-Head
Osaka head into the game with a clear upper hand in this fixture, claiming 11 wins from the last 18 meetings. Sapporo have picked up four wins in this period, while three games have ended all square.
Gamba Osaka Form Guide (all competitions): L-D-L-W-D.
Consadole Sapporo Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-W-D-L.
Gamba Osaka vs Consadole Sapporo Team News
Gamba Osaka
The hosts will continue to be without Takashi Usami and Masaaki Higashiguchi, who are both recuperating from injuries.
Injured: Takashi Usami, Masaaki Higashiguchi.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Consadole Sapporo
Shinzo Koroki is out of contention for the visitors, as he continues his spell on the sidelines after coming off with a meniscus injury against Yokohama F. Marinos in March.
Injured: Shinzo Koroki.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None,
Unavailable: None.
Gamba Osaka vs Consadole Sapporo Predicted XIs
Gamba Osaka (3-5-2): Jun Ichimori; Hiroki Fujiharu, Gen Shoji, Genta Miura, Ko Yanagisawa; Hiroto Yamami, Dawhan, Mitsuki Saito, Kosuke Onose; Leandro Pereira, Patric.
Consadole Sapporo (3-4-3): Takanori Sugeno; Shunta Tanaka, Daihachi Okamura; Lucas Fernandes, Kazuki Fukai, Tomoki Takamine, Daiki Suga; Gabriel Xavier, Yoshiaki Komai, Takuma Arano.
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Gamba Osaka vs Consadole Sapporo Prediction
Gamba Osaka have struggled to get going in recent weeks, picking up just one win from their last eight league games. The visitors, meanwhile, have lost just once in the league since November. They could maintain this fine run and come away with a slender victory on Wednesday.
Prediction: Gamba Osaka 1-2 Consadole Sapporo.
