With their progression to the round of 16 already assured, the Reds can clinch top spot in Group E and valuable home ground advantage for the next stage with a triumph on Wednesday.
Date: Wednesday, May 15
Kick-off: 8pm AEST
Venue: Expo ’70 Stadium, Osaka
Head-to-head
Played 4: Wins: Adelaide 1, Gamba 2
Previous encounter
Adelaide 2, Gamba Osaka 0, March 20, 2012
History:
Adelaide United became the first Australian side to defeat Japanese powerhouse Gamba Osaka with a 2-0 victory at Hindmarsh Stadium in March. But the Reds won’t recall their previous clashes with Gamba with any fondness having gone down to the Japanese club in the final of the 2008 Asian Champions League.
In the two-legged finals system back then, the Reds lost the opening match in Japan 3-0 before the rout was completed in Adelaide when they lost 2-0 at Hindmarsh Stadium thanks to two goals from Lucas Severino.
Form:
Past five matches:
Adelaide: LWDLW
Gamba: WWLLL
Adelaide have been in irresistible form since starting their fourth Champions League tilt. Three wins and a draw from their five group matches have the Reds within touching distance of hosting their round-of-16 fixture .
Gamba Osaka’s domestic and continental form has been disastrous of late. Brazilian Jose Carlos Serrao was dismissed from the head coaching post in March on the back of five consecutive defeats, handing the top job to local rookie Masanobu Matsunami.
Since Matsunami took over, Gamba have continued to struggle sitting second-from-bottom in the J-League, while their Champions League hopes are dashed.
Match Committee:
Reds coach John Kosmina revealed Iain Fyfe would likely make his first start of the competition to fill the gap left by the injured Osama Malik.
Bruce Djite has started in all five of the previous Group Stage matches, scoring the crucial late winner over Pohang back on April 18, while Sergio van Dijk has shown impressive form in United’s recent friendly matches against a number of local clubs.
Reports suggest Gamba will rest Japanese internationals Yasuhito Endo and Yasuyuki Konno as bids to stave off J-League relegation.
Danger man:
Bruce Djite – This guy knows all about what it takes to produce the goods in Asia. A member of the Adelaide side that went to the final in the 2008 ACL, Djite will be tasked with leading the line on Wednesday and with just one more win needed to secure their passage to the quarter-finals, the marksman will be dead keen to do it all again.
At the end of the day…
With their progression to the round of 16 already assured, the Reds can clinch top spot in Group E and valuable home ground advantage for the next stage with a triumph on Wednesday.
An Adelaide win is especially important considering second place could mean a trip to South Korea or Japan. On the other hand, Gamba are bottom of the group and have nothing to play for in the Champions League. The fallen power house is surely focusing their energy on domestic relegation worries so the South Australians are bound to win.
