In the previous league match against Kobe, who were on a four-game winning streak, Gamba's performance showcased a glimpse of the direction they are aiming for.
Tsuchida, making his first league start, acted as the vanguard, switching between offense and defense, while JEBALI was dynamic in the attacking midfield position. Although they dominated possession for much of the match, they were caught off guard at the last moment and suffered a painful defeat.
Head Coach Myojin said, "I told the players that there's absolutely no need to hang their heads, and that this isn't something to be pessimistic about," but what's always required of Gamba is a victory. Abe also said, "We were able to play Gamba-style football against Kobe, but the result was a loss, which is the current situation. Against Tokushima, we want to focus on winning rather than the performance, and advance to the 3rd Leg," and he's already looking ahead to the next battle.

The 3rd Leg of the EMPEROR'S CUP , which will be held with 2nd year of junior high school , will be a crucial match for Gamba, as they must translate the confidence and lessons learned from their game against Kobe into a victory.
New recruits like Tsuchida and Fujiwara, who also performed well in the Kobe match, have already played in the 2nd Leg with their previous clubs, so they are ineligible to participate in this tournament. However, Head Coach Myojin emphasized that "it's important to play our style of football the same way no matter who is on the field" as the key point for the Tokushima match.

Tokushima's style involves moving the ball from the back, so the aggressive pressing from the front that the team aims for will be essential. Abe described his approach to defeating Tokushima, who are prone to counterattacks, as follows: "No matter who plays, we want to press from the front and win the ball in the attacking third."
Gamba Osaka, despite creating numerous chances against Kobe, failed to score. However, as Abe emphasized, "We have no choice but to keep attacking until we score," and they must continue to relentlessly attack Tokushima.

Tokushima, on the other hand, advanced to the next round by defeating FC Tokushima 3-0 in the 2nd Leg . They are currently 10th in the league, but have been in good form recently, with 3 wins and 1 loss in their last 4 matches. Head Coach Yoshimoto, who led Kochi in the JFL era and defeated Gamba in the 2nd Leg of the Emperor's EMPEROR'S CUP in the 2023 season, is in charge of Tokushima this season, and their traditional style of emphasizing ball possession remains intact. Fukuoka said of his former club's style of play, "Tokushima values ​​possession, but we want to take advantage of their transitions."

Yanagisawa, who previously played for Gamba, is performing well on the right wing, and Yamaguchi also played on the left side in the 2nd Leg of the EMPEROR'S CUP . However, Tokushima also has a league match scheduled for the weekend with 2nd year of junior high school, so there is a good chance they will rotate their squad.
However, Head Coach Myojin said, "I don't think the overall structure of Tokushima as a team will change. They have foreign players up front and players who can play individually," expressing his concern about THONNY ANDERSON, LUCAS BARCELOS Damacena, and Watanabe.

Gamba has taken the lead and won all three matches in this season's EMPEROR'S CUP and ALC Elite, but Fukuoka says, "In cup matches, we have to be careful of the opponent's one-shot attack, and we don't know when foreign players will unleash that attack, so we want to stay vigilant."
Our primary goal is victory, but we also want to improve our performance based on our league record (Head Coach Myojin).
This match against Tokushima will give us momentum for the battles that lie ahead.