Kashima Antlers vs Gamba Osaka 23/08/20

23 August 2020

Gamba Osaka head to the Kashima Soccer Stadium to take on Kashima Antlers, hoping to put an end to a six-game winless run in their J1 League H2Hs (D3, L3).

The hosts have suffered a dip in form ahead of this clash, going from back-to-back J1 League wins to two consecutive matches without a win (D1, L1). A 1-0 away loss to Yokohama last time out saw Antonio Carlos Zago’s side draw a blank for the first time after netting over 1.5 goals in three successive league outings. But, at home in J1 League, the ‘Antlers’ have racked up four straight matches without a loss since losing 2-0 to Sapporo in the curtain-raiser (W2, D2), netting at least two goals in each. Yet, Kashima’s defensive woes have been heavily exposed in their top-flight home fixtures this term, as they’ve conceded precisely twice per home game in all five of their league outings so far.

On the other hand, it’s been ‘all or nothing’ for Gamba in their last seven J1 League encounters (W5, L2), with five of those results (wins/losses) yielding a single-goal margin. Interestingly, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto’s men have not only avoided defeat in all four of their league trips this term (W3, D1), but they’ve also managed to entertain the audience. Three of those four fixtures have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet. Indeed, Gamba have netted precisely two goals per match in each of their opening four J1 League trips. They could as well maintain their free-scoring form here, considering four of their last six top-flight H2Hs held at this venue saw them score over 1.5 goals.