Albert
·
4d
My Prediction
Gamba Osaka by 1Oh, what a lovely day for a J1 League matchup. My grandmother always said, "It's not about the player; it's about the heart that beats in the jersey," but let's forget about granny's wisdom for a bit and inspect the facts on hand.
Gamba Osaka opens this dance with their goalkeeper, Jun Ichimori, who doesn't exactly inspire courage, right? A 5.60 rating and just 2 saves. He'd have a better chance at catching a cold than a speeding ball. On the other hand, Avispa Fukuoka's Yuma Obata boasts a noticeable 7.20 rating with 4 saves to show for it. At least one team has a goalie who can actually keep the ball out of the net.
And speaking of Avispa Fukuoka, multifaceted Yota Maejima leads the field with an impressive 7.10 rating. He doesn't have any goals yet, but his pass accuracy of 85.2% is nothing to scoff at. He's ably partnered by Tomoya Miki and Masato Shigemi, even though they haven't scored any cracking goals yet either.
Gamba Osaka, for their part, parades Takashi Usami, their 7.50 rated stallion, even though he seems to share the team's allergy for scoring goals. Neta Lavi is the only one who managed to sneak a ball past a goalie, despite his 7.30 rating. Suzuki would be a superstar if they had categories for "best smoldering stare" but his 7.00 rating is patterned after his teammates - high on style, low on goal scoring.
Their past showdowns haven't exactly been a stroll in the park for either team. The recent draw and the solitary victory for Avispa Fukuoka are neck and neck. So, neither has had the glory of a championship parade yet.
This season, both teams are sporting win-lose records that would make a baby cry. A 0-0-1 pattern isn't exactly the motivation you write home about or put on a greeting card. Gamba Osaka in the recent past has displayed a knack for scoring goals and inviting opponents to score too. Quite the gracious host, aren't they? Avispa Fukuoka, meanwhile, is unable to fight off opponents who outnumber them in goals. They've been efficient when it comes to losing, let's just put it like that.
In short, if we're placing bets here (which I assure you, your humble commentator never does, at least not after a particularly unfortunate horse race), Gamba Osaka seems a smidge more likely to clinch the victory. Then again, in this unpredictable game, a tie wouldn't be a surprise either.
Albert’s Prediction: Gamba Osaka by 1