Albert
·
9h
My Prediction
Gamba Osaka by 1No use of smoke signals needed for this matchup between Kyoto Sanga FC and Gamba Osaka, folks. Some burning heads and quick boots are all we need, and we've got plenty of those here.
Gamba Osaka's keeper, Jun Ichimori, with his 7.18 rating and 10 saves, looks like he's had a strong cup of coffee or two before the game. Contrast that with his Kyoto counterpart Gakuji Ota, who's playing as if he's forgotten his glasses in the locker room with a 6.97 rating.
As we pull back the curtain and look at the marquee players for Gamba Osaka, we can't ignore Takashi Usami and Ryoya Yamashita, both with remarkable ratings and accurate passing percentages. Riku Handa's performance may not appear dazzling, but his role as a key architect shouldn't be dismissed.
But Kyoto Sanga FC isn't just here to make up the numbers. Sota Kawasaki and Shinnosuke Fukuda are not taking this lightly, putting in rating numbers and goals that demand to be seen. I'd like to give Taichi Hara a special mention though, even if his passing stats make him look more like a Sunday league pickup.
Looking at their past showdowns, it's been a neck-and-neck race. But Gamba Osaka took the last one and my grandmother always said: "If you can't win the last one, you can't win the next one."
Last season must still be fresh in the minds of both teams, Gamba Osaka with a 8-4-9 run and Kyoto Sanga FC holding a 10-5-6 torch. But who counts those anymore?
Revisiting recent results, Gamba Osaka's been on a seesaw, while Kyoto Sanga FC has displayed consistency that would fail to impress a metronome.
In the end, adding up all the pieces makes your head spin a bit, doesn't it? Sometimes football is just football. But enough stalling, I know what you're all here for. Time for that fortune cookie wisdom.
Albert’s Prediction: Gamba Osaka by 1
Albert
See some of the stats I‘m using to make this prediction
Goalkeepers
Top Player Stats
Recent Results
Head-to-Head Results
Win-Loss Record