In the EMPEROR'S CUP round of 16, Gamba was forced into a tough situation, falling behind twice, but the two CBs, Nakatani and Fukuoka, who supported Gamba's solid defense, each scored a valuable goal. Head Coach Poyatos adopted a form that was close to turnover, but the team advanced to the quarterfinals with a dramatic comeback victory.
The match against Fukuoka comes on a busy schedule and is a must-win for Gamba if they want to stay in the lead, but Gamba's fighting general, Nakatani, spoke forcefully.
"We want to aim higher in the league and we still have a point difference so we have no choice but to do it."

Gamba earned one point in the previous match against Kobe thanks to Nakatani's dramatic equalizer, but the gap in points between them and Machida, who are currently in the lead, has widened to six. Gamba won the EMPEROR'S CUP for the first time in five official matches, but their next goal is to win the league after three consecutive draws.

While Gamba has only had a 2nd year of junior high school day break, Fukuoka is coming into the match with only a six-day break, and Head Coach Poyatos also spoke about the importance of this match, saying, "If we win this game, we can get everything back on track."
Gamba's strength this season has been that, even if they are behind the first move, they will fight to the end to find a chance to win without panicking or collapsing, but in the match against Fukuoka, recovering second balls on both offense and defense will be key.

Fukuoka will use the same three-back formation as Shonan, but "Shonan is a team that wants to keep the ball, but Fukuoka will kick it towards Shahab Zahedi or WELLINGTON Luis De Sousa, who will then pick it up and pass it to Konno to cross the ball" (Head Coach Poyatos).
Gamba showed effective defense against Shonan, who moved the ball from the back line, but Fukuoka put long balls into the front line of the foreign attacker. The first prerequisite is that Nakatani and Fukuoka do not lose the aerial battle, but the key to the game will be whether or not they can recover the second ball.
Furthermore, the opposing team has players with the ability to score with a single strike, such as Iwasaki on the left wing and Konno in shadow, so it will be essential for Gamba to display tenacious defense from the entire team, as they did when they were continuing to keep a clean sheet.

The most important thing is not to concede any goals carelessly, but for Gamba, it is also essential to break through Fukuoka's solid defense, which forms a block in their own half and pushes forward. Fukuoka, currently in ninth place, has not won any of their last six league games, but their defense has not completely collapsed, so the quality of their attack will be put to the test.
WELTON is suspended for this match, but Usami said, "We'll need the quality of our final passes, crosses and the movements to get past the opponent."
Although Fukuoka scored the fewest goals in the league with 26, their conceded goals were also comparable to the top teams with 26, and they have some players to look out for up front. Zahedi, who allowed the winning goal in the away game, scored 9 goals, and Konno, who should be the most wary, scored 4 goals and made 2 assists. Usami also expressed his concern, saying, "There are several players who can individually control the game."

Gamba is at a disadvantage in terms of schedule, but a busy schedule is an unavoidable fate for the team if they are to regain their former strength.
"I won't use the schedule as an excuse, but I want to win by exercising, switching gears, and thinking quickly," said Ichimori. In order to keep the dream of winning the double crown alive, he will win against Fukuoka together with his supporters.