Gamba Osaka will entertain fourth-placed Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Panasonic Stadium Suita in J1 League action on Wednesday.
The home team are struggling at the moment and find themselves in 16th place in the standings. With the two teams from the extreme ends of the table locking horns on Wednesday, the odds look to be in the favor of the visiting side.
Gamba Osaka have lost four games in a row, suffering a 1-0 defeat against Consadole Sapporo last time around. Sanfrecce Hiroshima, on the other hand, made it four wins in a row as they secured a 3-1 win against Avispa Fukuoka, with Douglas Vieira scoring a second-half brace.
Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Head-to-Head
This will be the 92nd meeting between the two sides. The fixture has been closely contested between the two sides, with the home team having a narrow 39-37 lead in the head-to-head record. The spoils have been shared 15 times between the two sides.
They last met in league action last year at Wednesday's venue, with the game ending in a 2-1 win in favor of Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Gamba Osaka form guide (all competitions): L-L-L-L-W
Sanfrecce Hiroshima form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-L
Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Team News
Gamba Osaka
The Nerazzurri have a few injury concerns at the moment. Takashi Usami, Yuya Fukuda, Yuki Yamamoto and Jun Ichimori will be unable to feature in this game due to their respective ailments.
Injured: Takashi Usami, Yuya Fukuda, Yuki Yamamoto, Jun Ichimori.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Ezequiel and Shun Ayukawa are the two players who remain sidelined with injuries for Viola. Gakuto Notsuda will serve a one-match suspension after picking up the fourth yellow card of the campaign last time around.
Injured: Ezequiel, Shun Ayukawa.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Predicted XIs
Gamba Osaka (3-5-2): Masaaki Higashiguchi (GK); Ryu Takao, Kosuke Onose, Kwon Kyung-Won; Genta Miura, Hideki Ishige, Hiroki Fujiharu, Kohei Okuno, Dawhan; Daito Yamami, Patric.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (3-3-2-2): Keisuke Osako (GK); Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki, Tsukasa Shiotani; Yoshifumi Kashiwa, Toshihiro Aoyama, Tomoya Fujii; Tsukasa Morishima, Makoto Mitsuta; Junior Santos, Nassim Ben Khalifa.
$1,100 First Bet Insurance at Caesars
Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Prediction
Defense has been Sanfrecce's strength this season, and while they have kept just one clean sheet in their last four league games, they boast the best defensive record in the league (15 goals conceded in 17 games).
Gamba Osaka are in a rut at the moment and despite home advantage, will likely suffer a defeat in this match.
Prediction: Gamba Osaka 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima