J-League: Match of the Day 6-20-09

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Here is this week's match of the day.

Gamba Osaka v. Albirex Niigata

Background: Finally after two weeks of no games the J-League can finally resume. Gamba should be a little rusty after not playing for 2 whole weeks while Niigata's recent 1-2 defeat against bottom-dwellers Oita Trinita in the Nabisco Cup should help keep them in match fitness. Gamba are still without top scorer Leandro, but they still have the deadliest attack in the league with 26 goals. Niigata will also come out strong led by NT forward Kisho Yano and flamboyant Brazilian Pedro Junior. Gamba had 3 players on international duty: Yasuhito Endo, Satoshi Yamaguchi, and Hideo Hashimoto.

Analysis:
Key attributes:

Dribble: This really defines the style of play. Niigata have high dribbling which shows that they tend to use longball while Gamba have low dribbling which shows more of a finesse passing game.

Cross: The high amount of crossing for Gamba shows that despite having a good passing game, they like to play the ball through the channels instead of breaking through the middle. This also shows that Niigata do not play with wingers, but like to make through passes.

Clear: Probably the most important attribute. Niigata's high amount of clear clearly highlights the effectiveness of the their defense. But the downside is that with all of these clears it must mean that they are susceptible in the back. Gamba on the other hand have a low clearance rate, but they have one of the weakest defenses in the league.

Blue- Gamba Osaka
Red- Albirex Niigata

Projected Starting Line-up:

Gamba Osaka: 4-2-2
Gk: Fujigaya
LB: Yasuda
CB: Takagi
CB: Nakazawa
RB: Kaji
LM: Lucas
CM: Kurata
CM: Hashimoto
RM: Sasaki
ST: Cho
ST: Yamazaki

Albirex Niigata: 4-3-3
GK: Kitano
LB: Matsuo
CB: Fujita
CB: Chiyotanda
RB: Uchida
LM: Matsushita
CM: Homma
RM: Richardes
LF: Junior
CF: Oshima
RF: Yano

One to Watch: Michihiro Yasuda (Gamba Osaka LB)
Lost his starting spot, but with injuries besetting the squad has regained playing time. He has great last year, but hasn't been able to replicate that this year. Was called up last year, but this year because of the lack of playing time he hasn't.

Prediction:
Gamba Osaka 3-1 Albirex Niigata

Graphic Source: Found here at Soccer Yahoo Japan