In the opening match of the J1 League, watched by 34,855 spectators, Gamba Osaka won a dramatic seesaw game, coming from behind to defeat Urawa 4-3. With a victory in the legendary Head Coach's first official match, Gamba has firmly captured the hearts of their supporters, but just three days later, another big match of the early season is upon them.
"We're putting everything into tomorrow's match, and I think it might be the most important match of the season." These words spoken by Nakatani at the pre-match press conference for the ACLE preliminary stage match against Ehara also reflect the feelings of everyone involved with Gamba.
In their first appearance in the ACL2, Gamba defeated Al Nassr in the final to achieve their long-awaited 10th title, but the players are well aware that the ACLE is the pinnacle stage in the Asian club scene.
The preliminary stage, a one-off match to determine who will advance to the main tournament, is a competition where only the result matters.

"Gamba now has the ability to win, so we want to continue that, but we also want to reduce the number of goals we concede," Abe said, reflecting on the positive aspects and challenges of the Urawa match.
While it's good news that four of our attackers scored in the match against Urawa, it's also true that we struggled against an opponent at a numerical disadvantage.
"I think we're making great progress, building on what worked well last season while also incorporating Myo-san's (Head Coach Myojin's) style," Nakatani said, expressing his confidence. It seems that the path to victory will be for Myojin Gamba to demonstrate the style they originally aim for, both offensively and defensively.

With only three days between away games, they will have to go all out, but both the players and staff have already experienced the grueling back-to-back matches in ACL2. The team's foundation is solid, and with the addition of new players, all that's left is to win.

Gangwon, whom we will be facing for the first time, is a South Korean community club founded in 2008, and was the runner-up in the 2024 K League season. In their first appearance in the ACLE 2025/26, they advanced to the knockout stage. Although they narrowly lost to Machida in the round of 16, they defeated Kobe 4-3 at home in the league stage, so they are a team that should not be underestimated.
While players like Kim Dae-won, Israeli FW Abdullah Freyher, and dribbler Ko Young-jun are ones to watch out for, Gamba boasts the fewest goals conceded in the K League this season, so the true test of Gamba's attacking prowess will be crucial.
However, Uenaka says he has a strong image of being a "one-off player," and during his time at Yokohama F･Marinos, he scored two goals against Ulsan Hyundai in the ACL (now ACLE) semi-finals, contributing to their advancement to the final. He also scored one goal in the final, so expectations are high for him to score again following his goal against Urawa.

Head Coach Myojin, who was a key player in the 2008 ACL when Gamba became the first Asian champions, is also a man who knows all about the difficulties and rewards of competing in Asia. "I think it will be a very difficult match, but first we want to win and advance to the next stage" (Head Coach Myojin). Gamba will win away from home and seize the one and only ticket to the ACL.