Vegalta Sendai vs Gamba Osaka 05/09/20

05 September 2020

Yurtec Stadium Sendai is the venue as Vegalta Sendai and Gamba Osaka lock horns in a potentially high-scoring J1 League affair. Indeed, eight of their nine top-flight H2Hs held at this stadium have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, including the last five.

Despite going into this clash on a three-game winless J1 League run (D2, L1), Sendai must be confident of returning to winning ways after beating Gamba in both of their previous top-flight H2Hs held at this venue. However, the hosts will have to defy a disastrous home form to achieve that, as they enter this round as one of just two sides yet to pick up a win at home this term (D3, L3). A lack of ruthlessness finishing is accountable to Sendai’s home frustration. Takashi Kiyama’s men have netted under 1.5 goals in four of six home league fixtures, scoring the division’s second joint-low two second-half goals. By contrast, the majority (77.78%) of their J1 League home goals conceded arrived after the half-time break (7/9).

Meanwhile, the visitors have failed to pick up a win in three consecutive league games gearing up for this trip (D1, L2), with both of those defeats yielding the identical 3-1 scoreline. But, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto’s men are unbeaten in all five of their previous top-flight away matches (W3, D2), despite failing to keep a clean sheet on four of those occasions. It’ll also be a daunting prospect for Gamba to shut out Sendai, given they’ve not preserved a blank sheet in each of their previous six competitive trips to the Yurtec Stadium Sendai, conceding over 1.5 goals in the last three. Interestingly, though, delivering action from the get-go, Gamba have found the net inside the opening 15 minutes of play in three of five league trips this term.