Sagan Tosu vs Gamba Osaka 15/08/20

15 August 2020

Sagan Tosu and Gamba Osaka will lock horns at the Ekimae Real Estate Stadium this weekend in a potentially high-scoring J1 League affair. All four of their previous top-flight H2Hs held in Tosu have contained over 2.5 goals, with three seeing both teams score.

Before succumbing to a 2-0 away defeat to Kashima, the hosts were unbeaten in three consecutive J1 League fixtures (W1, D2), all of which had seen both teams on the scoresheet. Yet, for Sagan, goals have been at a premium this season. Kim Myung-hwi’s men have drawn a blank in six of their opening nine league matches, scoring precisely once per game in two of the other three. In fact, no team has netted fewer home goals than Tosu (2) this season. Despite failing to pick up three points in all four of their J1 League home outings so far (D3, L1), Tosu must be confident of winning here. Indeed, they’ve won six of their previous seven top-flight H2Hs held at this venue (L1).

On the other hand, the visitors have won five of their last six J1 League games (L1), as they enter this round six points below top-placed Kawasaki. Curiously, three of those six victories have yielded the identical 2-1 scoreline, which was also a scenario in their midweek’s YBC Levain Cup clash against Shonan Bellmare. Free-scoring Gamba have netted precisely two goals per match in all four of their J1 League trips so far this season (W3, D1), with four of their last six goals scored in applicable fixtures coming beyond the hour mark. It’s also worth noting that quick-fire Gamba have opened the scoring in each of their four league trips so far.