The match against Machida was a new challenge for Gamba. The new 4-4-2 formation, which was used for the first time this season, was not only to counter Machida's long balls, but also to seek new chemistry between the in-form JEBALI and new signing Humet, and to go all the way to victory.
"We had a short preparation time and there were areas where we could have done more, but we dominated the match against Machida. We also played in a positive way when it came to how to fight with the players we had," said Head Coach Poyatos, giving a certain degree of praise, but on the other hand, there is the issue of conceding the winning goal after taking advantage of a single chance. Fukuoka did not try to hide their disappointment, saying, "The only thing that mattered in the Machida match was the goal we conceded. It wasn't a game where we had to be so negative about our defense," but the Machida match once again reminded them of the difficulty of being taken by surprise by an opponent who uses a three-back formation.

The match against Kashiwa, which concludes the three-match series, will be a very busy one with only three days in between, but Gamba is only aiming for three points away. Mitsuda, who was sent onto the pitch in the second half of the Machida match, said, "We haven't won in three matches now, so we want to win, and we need to score one more point than our opponents on the pitch. In order to do that, we realized again in the previous match that it is important not to concede a goal first."

Kashiwa, which took over as Head Coach this season from Ricardo Rodriguez, who previously led Tokushima and Urawa, has already begun to incorporate the philosophy of the Spanish manager, who, like Head Coach, places importance on moving the ball, into the team. Kashiwa has yet to win in four games, but is off to a good start with three wins and one draw. Fukuoka, who was coached by Head Coach during his time at Tokushima, knows what his Head Coach manager is up to, saying, "Ricardo's style of football is to watch the opponent's movements while playing football. Players like Kakita and Kinoshita will run into the open spaces, so we need to be careful of that."
Gamba will need to play a different style to the Machida match, which makes heavy use of long balls, but Head Coach Poyatos said, "Kashiwa believes in ball possession, but it's important for us to hold the ball firmly, too." To do that, the team needs to show a unified defense.

Kashiwa uses both one striker and two strikers, but Hosoya and Kakita at the front are strikers with their own strengths. Kakita, who leads the attack with two goals and three assists, is particularly important to watch out for. Against Kashiwa, where both wingbacks are involved in the attack, Handa, who will match up with Koyamatsu on the left side, is also one of the key players in the game, but he is full of energy, saying, "The opponent's wingbacks are in a high position, so I want to steal the ball and then attack the space there (Handa)." Kashiwa wants to move the ball, but against an opponent who is good at ball possession, it is time to show off the strength of Poyatos Gamba, who can effectively steal the ball and sharply attack the space.
Gamba is in 12th place at the end of the previous round, but the difference with the leader is only 6 points. "Rankings can change in one round now, and how many points we can earn now will determine whether we can be involved in the championship race. "The content is important, but we want to get three points no matter what," said Handa, and these emphatic words will define the match against Kashiwa.