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Tokushima Vortis will host Gamba Osaka at the Pocarisweat Stadium on Monday in a matchday 23 fixture in the J1 League.
The game will represent a return to action for the home side after almost a month of inactivity. Their last fixture came in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Shimizu S-Pulse in July.
Gamba Osaka suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Yokohama F. Marinos on Friday. Kota Mizunuma scored what proved to be the match-winner for the visitors in the 74th minute.
That defeat left Osaka in 13th spot in the table, having picked up 26 points from 22 games to date. Tokushima Vortis are four places and six points below in the table.
Tokushima Vortis vs Gamba Osaka Head-to-Head
The two sides have traded tackles on six occasions and Tokushima are yet to pick up a win against Osaka.
Gamba Osaka have five wins to their name, while one previous game ended in a share of the spoils.
Their most recent meeting came in May when Patric and Takashi Usami scored in either half to give Gamba Osaka a 2-1 home victory.
Tokushima Vortis are without a victory in their last five games and need to start picking up points if they are to avoid the drop. Gamba Osaka took advantage of the league break to clear their backlog of fixtures. They have picked up three victories from their last five games.
Tokushima Vortis form guide: D-L-L-L-L
Gamba Osaka form guide: L-W-W-W-L
Tokushima Vortis vs Gamba Osaka Team News
Tokushima Vortis
The home side have striker Mushaga Bakenga currently sidelined with a thigh injury. There are no suspension worries for Vortis.
Injury: Mushaga Bakenga
Suspension: None
Gamba Osaka
Gamba Osaka have four players ruled out with injuries. Haruto Shirai (cruciate ligament), Jun Ichimori (hamstring), Ryu Takao (ankle) and Won-ho Shin (collarbone) have all been sidelined by fitness issues.
Furthermore, Yuya Fukuda is back to full fitness and should be available for selection.
Injuries: Jun Ichimori, Won-ho Shin, Haruto Shirai, Ryu Takao
Suspension: None
Tokushima Vortis vs Gamba Osaka Predicted XI
Tokushima Vortis Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Naoto Kamifukumoto (GK); Taiki Tamukai, Shota Fukuoka, Carlos de Junior, Takeru Kishimoto; Tokuma Suzuki, Ken Iwao; Koki Sugimori, Masaki Watai, Taiyo Nishino; Taisei Miyashiro
Gamba Osaka Predicted XI (3-4-3): Masaaki Higashiguchi (GK); Young-Gwon Kim, Shunya Suganuma, Genta Mura; Keisuke Kurokawa, Yuki Yamamoto, Kohei Okuno, Kosuke Onose; Takashi Usami, Shinya Yajima, Patric
Tokushima Vortis vs Gamba Osaka Prediction
The visitors have been more consistent in recent weeks and Tokushima's lack of action for almost a month might have led to match rustiness in the hosts.
Both sides are relatively cagey in their approach, suggesting that this could be a low-scoring encounter. Either team is capable of nicking a win here but we are predicting a narrow victory for Gamba Osaka.
Prediction: Tokushima Vortis 0-1 Gamba Osaka
