In their first away international match against Ratchaburi, Poyatos Gamba had to endure the hot and humid conditions in the first half, but Higashiguchi, the oldest player on the team, made a series of big saves. They made it through the tough stretch and, with their strong second half performance, which has been a recent Gamba winning pattern, successfully started their ACL2 series with a win.

But Gamba has no time to bask in the afterglow of their victory as they return to the J.League. Their sixth consecutive win is on the line against Kashima away, with 2nd year of junior high school days between games, but Head Coach Poyatos declared, "This schedule was decided from the beginning, so we'll just face it."
The opportunity to play against Asian teams on a schedule that coincides with the league's top teams is a privilege only available to them. To restore Gamba's strength, the match against Kashima will be an opportunity for the team to show its true worth, even on such a schedule.
"Duels will be a key factor," said Head Coach Poyatos, but the defensive intensity and tenacity they have shown during their winning streak will also be essential.

The team has not won an away game against Kashima for the past eight seasons. The manager, who has previously broken the jinxes against other teams, emphasized, "We've broken many jinxes and challenges up until now."
While fatigue from consecutive games is undeniable and there will be difficult periods when they can't keep possession of the ball, Gamba's current strength is their ability to sniff out key moments and finish them off. Handa also said, "If we hold on without a goal, one or two chances will come."

Since the Shonan match in the league, the defensive midfielders have scored in four consecutive games, but they'll want to show Kashima that they're not just relying on Usami and Humet.

Meanwhile, Kashima has maintained a strong performance, second only to Gamba, in their last five league matches. They are currently leading the league with four consecutive wins. In their home match, Gamba was down 0-1, a typical Kashima style of exploiting every opportunity, but their offense is also a cause for concern, as they have scored three or more goals in three of their four consecutive wins. On the other hand, they have also recorded three shutout victories, so it can be said that their offense and defense are meshing well.
It is a must to shut down the top two of Leonardo De Sousa Pereira(LEO CEARA), who is leading the scoring charts with 18 goals, and Suzuki, who has nine goals and five assists, but Elber, who joined from Yokohama F･Marinos in August, also scored his first goal since the transfer in the previous match against Nagoya. There is no doubt that this will be a game where even a moment of weakness will not be tolerated.
Handa, who is expected to face off against Elber, is not using the consecutive matches as an excuse, saying, "I want to beat Kashima, who are in first place, and I think it is in situations like these that I can show my worth," and he intends to shut down Kashima's attackers with his proud defensive ability.

At a packed Mercari Stadium, the opponent will be the league leader Kashima. Gamba will be looking to stop Kashima with a six-game winning streak that they haven't achieved since the 2020 season.
With the support of supporters who have travelled from far away to support them, Gamba will put all their efforts into challenging the leaders.