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Gamba Osaka will host their city rivals Cerezo Osaka at the Panasaonic Stadium in a matchday 27 fixture in the J1 League on Saturday.
The home side come into the game on the back of a 3-1 defeat away to Yokohama FC on Wednesday. Athur Feitoa, Felipe Vizeu and Reo Yasunaga all got on the scoresheet for the hosts.
Cerezo Osaka were on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing by Shonan Bellmare on home turf. Five different men got on the scoresheet for the visitors to guide them to a comprehensive victory.
The defeats meant that the city rivals could not be separated in the table, having each garnered 30 points to sit in 12th and 13th place respectively. Cerezo Osaka are, however, the higher-ranked side by virtue of their superior goal difference.
Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka Head-to-Head
Gamba Osaka have 14 wins from their last 27 fixtures against their city rivals. Cerezo Osaka were victorious on five occasions while eight previous games ended in a draw.
One of those stalemates came in their most recent meeting, a 1-1 draw in April when Motohiko Nakajima and Patric scored second-half goals to share the spoils.
Both sides have picked up two wins from their last five games in all competitions.
Gamba Osaka form guide (all competitions): L-D-W-W-L
Cerezo Osaka form guide (all competitions): L-W-W-L-D
Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka Team News
Gamba Osaka
Gamba Osaka have four players ruled out with injuries. Haruto Shirai (cruciate ligament), Jun Ichimori (hamstring), Ryu Takao (ankle), Wellington Silva (adductor) have all been sidelined by fitness issues.
Furthermore, Won-ho Shin has recovered from his collarbone injury and could be available for selection. Defender Yota Sato will be suspended for the red card he received against Yokohama FC.
Injuries: Jun Ichimori, Wellington Silva, Haruto Shirai, Ryu Takao
Suspension: Yota Sato
Cerezo Osaka
Ryosuke Shindo has been ruled out with an injury while Ryuya Nishio will undergo a late evaluation to determine his availability.
Injury: Ryosuke Shindo
Doubtful: Ryuya Nishio
Suspension: None
Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka Predicted XI
Gamba Osaka Predicted XI (3-4-3): Masaaki Higashiguchi (GK); Hiroki Fujiharu, Shunya Suganuma, Genta Miura; Keisuke Kurokawa, Se-Jong Ju, Kohei Okuno, Kosuke Onose; Takashi Usami, Shinya Yajima, Patric
Cerezo Osaka Predicted XI (4-3-3): Jin-Hyeon Kim (GK); Yusuke Maruhashi, Ayumu Seko, Tiago Pagnussat, Riku Matsuda; Hiroshi Kiyotake, Naoyuki Fujita, Hiroaki Okuno, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto; Mutsuki Kato, Yuta Toyokawa
Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka Prediction
The fact that this is a city derby means both sides will give their all to secure bragging rights.
They will also be cautious in their approach to avoid losing and this could translate into a cagey game of few chances. The two sides are almost evenly matched across all levels and we are predicting a share of the spoils with goals at both ends.
Prediction: Gamba Osaka 1-1 Cerezo Osaka
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