The 2nd Leg of the EMPEROR'S CUP was no easy match, even against a lower category team, and the match once again highlighted how strong Gamba is right now.
Not only did they win 3-0, but Higashiguchi, who made his first appearance of the season, contributed to a clean sheet. JEBALI showed his strength with his first goal of the season, and Yamashita also scored his first goal for Gamba, making this a good match for the match against Kashiwa.
The match against Kashiwa comes three days after their previous match, and is an important one for Gamba, who are in third place in the J1 League at the end of the previous round, as they must win.
After the match against Kashiwa, there will be further matches against top teams such as Kobe, Kashima and Machida in June, but neither the manager nor the players are willing to waver from their determination to win every match.
"Rather than a match to move up the rankings, this is an important match right in front of us. Our mission is to keep winning," said Fukuoka, who is not satisfied with his current position after three consecutive wins in the league.
Nakatani, who is not overly conscious of playing against his former club where he made his pro debut, emphasized, "If you don't think about the future and just win each game, you won't be able to see the top."

For Gamba, who beat Shonan and recorded their first three consecutive league wins this season, the match against Kashiwa will require hard work on both offense and defense.
Although they have a good record against Kashiwa, with three wins and two draws in their last five league games, Kashiwa, who were in 12th place at the end of the previous round, are still a force to be reckoned with.
"Each individual player will fight in the basic areas, and we will always show defense that surpasses the opponent in terms of running ability," said Yamashita, but Kashiwa's style is based on a 4-4-2 formation and is tough and hard-working. In the 2nd Leg of the EMPEROR'S CUP , they made 10 changes to the starting line-up and won 2-0 against Iwate, so they should be in top form when they enter Panasonic Stadium Suita.

Gamba has been working on improving the accuracy of their attacks during the interval after the Shonan match, but careless losses are a no-no against Kashiwa, who are sharp on the counter. Nakatani also expressed his caution, saying, "They are a hard-working team, so when we, the DF, have the ball, we want to force vertical passes to avoid being countered."
One of the team's aims is to move the ball, but Gamba's current strengths include a variety of attacks, such as counterattacks that make use of the speed of Yamashita and WELTON, and scoring ability from set pieces.
The key to this is Yamashita, who scored a goal in the EMPEROR'S CUP and is in top form both offensively and defensively. His opponent, left-back DIEGO Jara Rodrigues, has an offensive style, but if Yamashita can press in, he will naturally shut down Kashiwa's strong point.

On the other hand, Kashiwa has one draw and two losses in their most recent league matches, but they need to be wary of their front line attackers. Nakatani says that Kinoshita, who has scored six goals despite often coming on as a substitute, Hosoya, who is a member of the U-23 Japan national team, and Matheus Goncalve Savio(MATHEUS SAVIO), who is the core of their attack, "are players who can strike."
Kashiwa's counterattacks are something to be wary of, but Gamba's style of play this season in which everyone works together on offense and defense is one they are good at.
"Kashiwa is a team that creates rhythm through defense," said Nakatani, but Gamba will also want to find rhythm through aggressive defense and approach Kashiwa's goal tenaciously and sharply.