South American double champions to arrive in Osaka for SURUGA bank Championship 2015 OSAKA #football

Thu, 06 Aug 2015 17:29:03 +0900
大会・試合

Gamba Osaka, who took first place in the previous J.League YAMAZAKI NABISCO CUP, will meet River Plate (Argentina), who won the championship in the Copa Total Sudamericana, in the coming “SURUGA bank Championship 2015 OSAKA” on Tuesday 11 August at the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium, Osaka.

Gamba Osaka ended in fourth place in the 1st stage of the MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE, and are now sitting in fifth place at the end of the second stage. Although their record in the most recent five games is 1 win, 1 loss and 3 draws, showing how the team has struggled, the performance of individual players is not in doubt.

Six players, namely HIGASHIGUCHI Masaaki, NIWA Daiki, YONEKURA Koki, FUJIHARU Hiroki, KURATA Shu, and USAMI Takashi, are currently playing for SAMURAI BLUE (the Japan National Team) in the EAFF East Asian Cup 2015 in Wuhan, China.

These six players will fly back home on Monday 10 August, after the match against China PR on Sunday 9 August. They have to follow a tight schedule. Even without them, Gamba Osaka have strength in depth, including IWASHITA Keisuke at back, ENDO Yasuhito in the midfield, and PATRIC up front.

The captain Endo has been showing off his skills, scoring in three consecutive games in J.League Division1. As he noted: “I need to win to enjoy matches. I’d like to show Gamba’s strength at home”, the team, who have been unbeaten in the 11 league games in this season, will aim to win at the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium.

River Plate, on the other hand, won the championship in the Copa Libertadores as well as the Copa Total Sudamericana last year. The team claimed the title in the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday 5 August (6 August Japan Time), becoming the South American champions for the third time in the 19 years since 1996. Marcelo Gallardo, who played in 1996, is now leading the team as the coach.

The team holds many talented players, such as Carlos Sanchez, who plays for the Uruguay national football team and scored in the second match of the final round in the Copa Libertadores, and Matías Kranevitter, who is expected to play for the Argentina national football team in the future. There are also experienced ones, including Javier Saviola and Luis González, who used to play for the Argentina national football team.

The match will be between the J.League’s leading team, G Osaka, and the South American champions, River Plate. Although Japan’s record against South American teams so far is five wins and two losses, three matches went to penalty shootouts. All the games have been very close within a one-goal difference, and another exciting match will be expected this time. The game will kick-off at 19:00.

SURUGA bank Championship 2015 OSAKA
J.LEAGUE YAMAZAKI NABISCO CUP / COPA TOTAL SUDAMERICANA Championship Final

Gamba Osaka vs River Plate
Tue. 11 Augusut Kickoff 19:00/Open 17:00 (subject to change)