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Gamba Osaka welcome Sanfrecce Hiroshima to the Panasonic Stadium Suita in J1 League action on Wednesday.
The hosts suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of Cerezo Osaka in their Osaka derby last time around. They remain in 12th place in the league standings after this loss, which also brought an end to their three-game unbeaten streak.
The visitors returned to winning ways with a 3-1 win against 11th-placed Kyoto Sanga in their previous outing after suffering a 2-1 loss against Shimizu S-Pulse in the J League Cup last Wednesday.
As the league approaches the halfway mark, both sides will be looking to improve upon their league standings.
Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Head-to-Head
The two sides have locked horns 91 times across all competitions so far. They have been closely matched in this fixture, with the hosts enjoying a narrow 39-37 lead in wins. The spoils have been shared 15 times in this fixture.
They last met in league action at Wednesday's venue last May. Sanfrecce secured a 2-1 win in that fixture.
Gamba Osaka form guide (all competitions): L-L-W-W-D
Sanfrecce Hiroshima form guide (all competitions): W-L-D-W-L
Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Team News
Gamba Osaka
Takashi Usami, Masaaki Higashiguchi, and Shu Kurata continue to be sidelined with injuries. Meanwhile, Yuya Fukuda was also ruled out with a shoulder injury earlier this month and has not played a game since being taken out in the game against Vissel Kobe.
Injured: Takashi Usami, Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shu Kurata, Yuya Fukuda
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Takumu Kawamura, Shun Ayukawa and Ezequiel are the three absentees on account of injuries for Viola.
Injured: Takumu Kawamura, Shun Ayukawa, Ezequiel
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Predicted XIs
Gamba Osaka (3-5-2): Jun Ichimori (GK); Kyung-won Kwon, Gen Shoji, Genta Miura; Keisuke Kurokawa, Hiroki Fujiharu, Dawhan, Wellington Silva, Ko Yanagisawa; Leandro Pereira, Hiroto Yamami
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (3-4-3): Keisuke Osako (GK); Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki, Yuki Nogami; Shunki Higashi, Gakuto Notsuda, Makoto Mitsuta, Tomoya Fujii; Kosei Shibasaki, Nassim Ben Khalifa, Junior Santos
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Gamba Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima Prediction
The visitors have a better attacking and defensive record than the hosts, outscoring them 18-16 and conceding 13 goals in 14 games, five fewer than the hosts.
The two sides have been evenly matched in terms of their head-to-head record but we are backing the visitors to eke out a narrow win here.
Prediction: Gamba Osaka 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
