In the 4th Leg 1st Round of the J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP , Gamba Osaka suffered a hard-fought 4-5 defeat against Kashiwa Reysol. Although they lost one of the titles they had been aiming for, both the manager and the players have already shifted their focus to the next challenge.
Gamba Osaka has a nine-game stretch ahead of them, starting with the match against Kashima, including the ACL Elite, but this match at the home ground of last season's J1 League champions holds significance beyond just being another game.
"If we can beat Kashima here, the momentum will definitely be on our side," says Abe, one of the key players in the midfield.

Although they are currently on a three-game losing streak in the league, their original style of aggressively chasing the ball from the front, as seen in their recent match against Kobe, is clearly beginning to show effectiveness. Head Coach Myojin also expressed confidence in the positive signs he saw in the defeat, saying, "There were moments when we managed to win the ball back against a team that is so good at possession." However, what Gamba needs now is to stay focused and stick to their own style of play.
JEBALI, the key player in the attack, also emphasized, "What we need to focus on now is what kind of football we want to show."

During the international break, they not only refined their tactics but also used the time effectively to help new players like Tsuchida and Fujiwara integrate better. "I feel like I'm getting more in sync with those around me, so I want to show that in the match," Tsuchida said, expressing his enthusiasm for scoring his first league goal.
Gamba Osaka is demonstrating a coordinated approach to winning the ball back from the front line, but the next step is to avoid careless turnovers. In the match against Kashiwa, Head Coach Myojin acknowledged that "the way we lost possession was part of the problem in the dangerous situations," highlighting the need to balance quick vertical attacks with maintaining possession. Fujiwara, who showed a glimpse of his cleverness in his debut match against Kobe, prioritizes his defensive contributions, saying, "Looking at Kashima's scoring patterns, many come from crosses, so as a full-back, it's important to prevent them from crossing in the first place." However, he also intends to be involved in game control, stating, "If I can settle the ball down after winning it back, we can set the pace and play a more controlled game."

Kashima, on the other hand, will undoubtedly be highly motivated to face Gamba. Not only were they the league champions last season, but they also finished first in the Meiji Yasuda J1 J.LEAGUE 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE's regional league round EAST. They are a highly accomplished team both offensively and defensively, but in their most recent league matches they have lost three and drawn one, failing to secure a win and conceding 10 goals in four games, placing them 8th in the J1 League.
However, Kashima boasts not only Leonardo De Sousa Pereira(LEO CEARA), who leads the scoring charts with 10 goals, and Aleksandar CAVRIC with 4 goals, but also formidable attackers like Suzuki. As Head Coach Myojin says, "We want to exploit the opponent's weaknesses throughout the 90 minutes," so game management will be essential.
"If we win the away game against Kashima, we'll have more than three points to show for it" (Yamashita).
It's a tough 90 minutes where they'll clash with sheer determination and intensity, and Gamba will show their resolve and pride.