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Gamba Osaka entertain Vissel Kobe at the Suita City Stadium in their upcoming J1 League fixture on Sunday.
The game between the two central Japanese rivals is sometimes referred to as the Hanshin Derby. This will be the first league game in over a month for Vissel Kobe, who were in Thailand for the group stage fixtures of the AFC Champions League.
They are the only side in the league without a win to their name and are at rock bottom in the league standings.
The home side have done marginally better than their western rivals with two wins in 11 games and are in 13th place in the table with 11 points.
Gamba Osaka vs Vissel Kobe Head-to-Head
There have been 57 meetings between the two sides across all competitions. The hosts hold the advantage in the head-to-head record at the moment with 28 wins to their name, while Vissel Kobe have 17 wins in this fixture.
In total, 12 games have ended in draws between the two sides, but the last four games in the fixture have ended in two wins apiece for each side.
The visitors secured a league double over the home side last season and when they met at Sunday's venue in July, the game ended in a 2-1 win for the Ushi.
Gamba Osaka form guide (all competitions): D-L-D-L-W
Vissel Kobe form guide (AFC Champions League): D-D-W-W-L
Gamba Osaka vs Vissel Kobe Team News
Gamba Osaka
Takashi Usami and Masaaki Higashiguchi remain sidelined with injuries at the moment, while Shu Kurata is also expected to sit this one out with a calf strain.
Injured: Takashi Usami, Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shu Kurata
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Vissel Kobe
Sergi Samper, Noriaki Fujimoto and Daiju Sasaki have been ruled out with injuries for the visiting side, so they might not be able to field the strongest possible starting XI yet again.
Andres Iniesta took part in the latest training sessions and faces a late fitness test to determine his involvement.
Injuries: Sergi Samper, Noriaki Fujimoto, Daiju Sasaki
Doubtful: Andres Iniesta
Suspension: None
Gamba Osaka vs Vissel Kobe Predicted XIs
Gamba Osaka (3-5-2): Jun Ichimori (GK); Kyung-won Kwon, Gen Shoji, Genta Miura; Keisuke Kurokawa, Hiroki Fujiharu, Dawhan, Mitsuki Saito, Kosuke Onose; Patric, Hiroto Yamami
Vissel Kobe (4-2-3-1): Daiya Maekawa (GK); Yuki Kobayashi, Tomoaki Makino, Leo Osaki, Gotoku Sakai; Hotaru Yamaguchi, Takahiro Ogihara; Yuya Nakasaka, Yuta Goke, Yuya Osako; Lincoln
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Gamba Osaka vs Vissel Kobe Prediction
Gamba Osaka have produced inconsistent displays throughout the season and have been a bit poor defensively, letting in 15 goals thus far. Vissel Kobe have the worst attacking record in the league at the moment, with just five goals in 10 games.
They have recovered a few players from injuries and might also be boosted by their qualification into the knockout stage of the Champions League. Nonetheless, a draw seems to be the most likely outcome when the two sides square off on Sunday.
Prediction: Gamba Osaka 1-1 Vissel Kobe
