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Kashima Antlers will entertain Gamba Osaka at the Kashima Soccer Stadium in the fourth round fixture of the Japanese Emperor's Cup on Wednesday.
Both sides have won the Cup competition five times and have finished as the runners-up on three occasions. Kashima Antlers secured a place in this fixture thanks to a 3-0 win over Omiya Ardija last month. Gamba Osaka defeated last season's runners-up Oita Trinita 3-1 last time around.
Kashima last won the competition in 2016 and finished as the runners-up in 2019. Gamba Osaka were the champions in the 2015 edition and they last made it to the title decider in 2020, finishing second-best to Kawasaki Frontale.
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Kashima Antlers vs Gamba Osaka Head-to-Head
The two sides have locked horns 84 times across all competitions since 1989. The home team have been the better side in this fixture and are currently on a five-game winning streak against their western rivals.
Kashima enjoy a 43-26 lead in wins at the moment while 15 games have ended in draws. The two sides have squared off five times in the Emperor's Cup, with all the meetings coming in the knockout stages of the competition.
Gamba Osaka have the upper hand in this fixture, leading 3-2 in wins. They last met at the Panasonic Suita Stadium in J League Cup group stage fixtures in May, with the Antlers recording a 3-1 win.
Kashima Antlers form guide (all competitions): D-D-W-D-W
Gamba Osaka form guide (all competitions): L-L-D-W-W
Kashima Antlers vs Gamba Osaka Team News
Kashima Antlers
Shintaro Nagi is dealing with a tendon injury at the moment and will play no part in this fixture. Ryotari Araki and Yuta Matsumura have also not featured for the club in recent fixtures and will likely be left out of the squad for this cup tie.
Injured: Shintaro Nagi, Yuta Matsumura
Doubtful: Ryotari Araki
Suspended: None
Gamba Osaka
Takashi Usami, Yuya Fukuda, Yuki Yamamoto and Jun Ichimori continue to be sidelined with injuries for Nerazzurri. Kohei Okuno's red card in the league game against Kawasaki Frontale does not impact his involvement in the game here.
Injured: Takashi Usami, Yuya Fukuda, Yuki Yamamoto, Jun Ichimori
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Kashima Antlers vs Gamba Osaka Predicted XIs
Kashima Antlers (4-4-2): Kwoun Sun-Tae (GK); Koki Anzai, Kim Min-Tae, Kento Misao, Rikuto Hirose; Ryuji Izumi, Diego Pituca, Arthur Caike, Hayato Nakama; Yuma Suzuki, Ayase Ueda
Gamba Osaka (4-4-2): Masaaki Higashiguchi (GK); Hiroki Fujiharu, Kyung-won Kwon, Genta Mura, Ryu Takao; Hiroto Yamami, Dawhan, Kohei Okuno, Kosuke Onose; Hideki Ishige, Patric
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Kashima Antlers vs Gamba Osaka Prediction
Kashima Antlers have been the better side in this fixture and are on a five-game winning streak against the visitors. They also boast a better attacking and defensive record in the J1 League, outscoring Gamba Osaka 34-21 and conceding three fewer goals than them.
Given the form of the two sides and recent history in this fixture, we back Kashima Antlers to record a narrow win in this fixture.
Prediction: Kashima Antlers 2-1 Gamba Osaka
