On Sat Aug 6th, in week 24, Gamba Osaka will travel to Fukuoka to battle Avispa Fukuoka in a clash of these two closely matched J-League teams. Weather on match day is looking like a cloudy but hot day with daytime temperatures of 31 degrees, which may be tiring for the players. In their last match, 10th placed Avispa Fukuoka, recorded a 0-2 loss against Cerezo Osaka. Matej Jonjic struck first for Cerezo Osaka in the 5th minute on a feed from Ryosuke Yamanaka, then Satoki Uejo added another in the 72nd minute In the end, Avispa Fukuoka couldn’t muster any offence and Cerezo Osaka ran away with the shutout win. Avispa Fukuoka is looking for direction having earned 12 points in their last 10 matches, while in their last match, Gamba Osaka recorded a 1-1 draw against Kyoto Sanga. Ryotaro Meshino scored the first goal for Gamba Osaka in the 57th minute, then Genki Omae tied it up for Kyoto Sanga in the 7th minute of the second half’s stoppage time earning Kyoto Sanga a comeback draw. They’re hoping to improve on their recent performance, having lost 7 of their last 10.
Avispa Fukuoka and Gamba Osaka last played eachother at the Nishigaoka National Stadium on the 19th of March. Avispa Fukuoka was victorious by a score of 3 to 2. Jordy Croux scored the first goal for Avispa Fukuoka in the 10th minute, then Tatsuya Tanaka added another in the 59th minute on a feed from Jordy Croux.
Gamba Osaka hasn’t been successful in netting any goals lately. Their top scorers in the last 5 matches are Mitsuki Saito and Kwon Kyung-Won, and they each have 1 goal. Avispa Fukuoka’s most prolific scorer has been Yamagishi. He has netted two goals over the last 5 matches.