Gamba Osaka v Yokohama F Marinos

Gamba Osaka vs Yokohama F. Marinos Preview

Gamba Osaka's ambitions of a possible top two finish in this season's J-League were dealt a blow last weekend when they were handed a 3-1 defeat at home by the current league leaders, Machida Zelvia, while Yokohama F. Marinos were dealt a third league defeat on the trot following a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to lowly Sagan Tosu which has left the visitors sitting in a mid-table position of 12th place in the J-League table.

Gamba Osaka had previously put together a very solid looking nine-game unbeaten run in the Japanese top flight which has helped the hosts make a serious challenge for a top two finish thanks to picking up no fewer than seven wins within this period, so Daniel Algaba's side will still fancy their chances of returning to winning ways this Saturday against a struggling Yokohama F. Marinos outfit.

Four of these seven wins for Gamba Osaka had been achieved on home soil at their Panasonic Stadium Suita with a victory gained over local rivals, Cerezo Osaka, along with subsequent wins against Kawasaki Frontale, Kashiwa Reysol and most impressive of all, a 2-1 win over fourth placed Vissel Kobe.

In addition, Gamba Osaka have lost just twice in their last 10 home games, collecting seven wins along the way.

Yokohama F. Marinos certainly look to have their work cut out if they're to at least equal last season's efforts in the Japanese top flight after Kevin Muscat's side finished runners-up behind the title winners, Vissel Kobe at the end of the previous campaign, as the visitors find themselves floundering in a mid-table position of 12th place in this season's table.

Another Australian manager, Harry Kewell, has since taken over the reigns from Muscat but the former Crawley Town and Notts County manager has experienced a fair amount of turbulence in this season's campaign to date.

Following promising back-to-back wins against Vissel Kobe and Gamba Osaka, Yokohama F. Marinos have managed to pick up just a further three league wins in their subsequent 14 matches overall with victories over Kashiwa Reysol, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Consadole Sapporo but Kewell's side have also slipped to seven defeats as well.

Results away from home have also taken a turn for the worse as Yokohama F. Marinos have won just once in their previous seven outings on the road along with being dealt four defeats in the process.

Gamba Osaka v Yokohama F. Marinos Verdict

It's true that Yokohama F. Marinos have enjoyed the upper hand over Gamba Osaka in recent exchanges but bear in mind that two of their last three wins have been under Kevin Muscat's guidance.

However, Gamba Osaka look to be the better equipped to take the spoils this time around.

Therefore, our main bet will be Gamba Osaka win @ 2.50

Other side bets worth considering:

Gamba Osaka win & Under 2.5 goals @ 6.00

Correct Score: Gamba Osaka 2-0 @ 13.00