Gamba advanced to the semi-finals of the EMPEROR'S CUP for the first time in four seasons. As the match was held at the same time as the league match, they literally went all out against Hiroshima, and Kishimoto scored a dramatic winning goal. Usami reflected on the victory over Hiroshima, who were currently leading the league, as follows:
"It gave us momentum and confidence. The whole team understood that we could do it."

Gamba doesn't have time to bask in the afterglow of having secured a ticket to the semi-finals. With a serious goal of winning the double crown, they will now be accelerating their league matches with 2nd year of junior high school days off. They have not won in their last five league matches, drawing four in a row. In their quest to catch up with the leaders, Gamba cannot afford to stagnate any further, so they will face Urawa at Panasonic Stadium Suita.
Urawa, the site of many memorable matches in the past, is a tough opponent, but also an ideal opponent for Gamba to face in order to regain momentum.
"The opponent is Urawa, so I think it's a big match. It's a great opportunity to accelerate," said Usami.

While Gamba has consecutive games with only 2nd year of junior high school, Urawa is at a disadvantage in terms of schedule as this is their first official match since August 31st, but a busy schedule is an unavoidable path if they are aiming to regain their status as a perennial winner.
In both the Kobe and Fukuoka matches, the team conceded the opening goal, resulting in two consecutive losses. The key to the Urawa match will be whether or not they score the opening goal.
Unlike the 1-0 away win, Urawa terminated the contract of former Head Coach Pair Mattias Hegmo on August 26. This will be the first game for Head Coach MACIEJ SKORZA to take charge again.
Urawa has been working on a style of ball movement this season, but it is likely that Head Coach Scorja will build a solid block and approach the game in a more cautious manner.
"Urawa's fighting style last year was well organized in defence. That's why if we concede goals easily, the opponents will be more confident in their defence," said Ichimori, who is wary of careless conceding goals.

Regardless of Urawa's team situation, Gamba will stick to their established style of head-on battle. "We want to control Urawa and move their opponent's blocks. That will lead to victory," said Head Coach Poyatos.
Gamba drew four consecutive league matches in August. In the end, it was a case of crying over a lack of decisiveness, but the variety of their attacks and the quality of their attacks have clearly shown signs of growth, and Sakamoto, who scored the winning goal away from home, is full of energy, saying, "I don't want to do anything special, I just want to play football as usual."

Meanwhile, Urawa, under temporary coach Ikeda, drew 2-2 with Machida in the previous match, but has one loss and four draws in the last five matches. They are currently in 12th place, but they will surely be highly motivated under Head Coach Scorja.
Of the 11 goals scored, the ones we need to be wary of are individual shots from Thiago Santos Santana(THIAGO SANTANA) and others. We need to be extremely careful, including defending set pieces.

Last season, under Head Coach Skorja, the team lost all four official matches against Urawa. That's why Usami is so determined. "We lost so many games to Urawa last year, so we want to win more games than we lose this year."
The time had come to complete the season double against their arch rivals and put an end to their continuing negative run in the league.