Jubilo Iwata vs Gamba Osaka

Yamaha Stadium sets the stage for an exciting YBC Levain Cup last-16 showdown between Jubilo Iwata and Gamba Osaka.

It’s been a fantastic start to May for second-tier Jubilo Iwata, as they’ve won three consecutive league games via an aggregate score of 7-2 after a 3-3 draw at Imabari. Iwata’s form this month is a stark contrast to a dreadful run of three successive defeats toward the end of April – two of which saw them fail to find the back of the net. John Hutchinson’s men have gone from back-to-back home losses to two straight victories, and with each result (win/loss) seeing the winner keep a clean sheet, scoring the opening goal could be crucial. Still, Gamba’s upcoming visit cannot inspire much confidence, considering Iwata have won none of the last three H2Hs on this ground (D2, L1), including a goal-glutted 4-3 defeat in November 2024.

Despite faring reasonably well in this fixture, Gamba cannot take this trip lightly, knowing their last away H2H defeat came in a cup competition, though it was in March 2019. Their recent road form has been far from promising, with the Nerazzurri claiming just one win in their last four away games (D1, L2). Scoring under 1.5 goals in three of those four outings suggests Dani Poyatos’ side may have problems finding the net here, which would end their hopes of winning this tournament for the first time in club history. Equally depressing is the fact they’ve lost consecutive matches in the build-up to this road trip.