Gamba to head to Singapore.

Gamba Osaka will face Singapore Armed Forces F.C. in the Champions League group stage.

The champions of Singapore's S. League overcame Thailand's Muangthong United on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the Playoff final to book their place in the 2010 edition of Asia's premier club competition. They will host Gamba on March 23rd before visiting Banpaku 8 days later on March 31st.

Source: AFC Official Site

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Cho breaks a bone.

"Hopefully Gamba will not endure a repeat of last pre-season."

I humbly apologise for tempting fate with that comment. Gamba Osaka striker Cho Jae-Jin has been added to the injury list after fracturing a metacarpal bone in his right hand. He is set to undergo surgery on Wednesday and is expected to be out for up to four weeks.

Source: Official Site

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Yamaguchi to miss start of season.

Satoshi Yamaguchi will miss the start of the season after picking up a knee injury.

Yamaguchi has suffered damage to the ligaments in his left knee whilst taking part in training in Guam and is expected to be out for between 6 and 8 weeks. He will subsequently miss the opening of Gamba's Asian and domestic campaigns as well as the Xerox Super Cup.

Hopefully Gamba will not endure a repeat of last pre-season, which saw a number of injuries to key players such as Leandro and Cho Jae-Jin prior to the Super Cup match.

Source: Official Site

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The beginning is near...

The new J. League season begins next month and the full fixture list is now out!

We were already given the first two rounds as an appetiser, including the first Osaka derby of 2010 but now we have all 34 rounds to feast upon. For Gamba fans, certain fixtures stand out amongst the crowd, especially those against the disliked residents of Saitama and, of course, the Banpaku edition of the Osaka derby. Here is a glimpse of the key fixtures:

March 14 - Cerezo Osaka (A)
July 14 - Kyoto Sanga (H)
July 18 - Urawa Reds (H)
July 28 - Vissel Kobe (A)
September 18 - Cerezo Osaka (H)
October 24 - Kyoto Sanga (A)
October 30 - Vissel Kobe (H)
November 20 - Urawa Reds (A)

The full list can now be viewed here!

Also, the squad began preparation for the new season at the weekend and a few changes were announced. There were a few changes to squad numbers, which can now be seen on the squad page, and a couple of new faces behind-the-scenes. Gerson replaces Marquinhos as our new goalkeeping coach and Gamba legend, Masanobu Matsunami steps up from his role as youth coach to become the newest first team coach!

Masanobu was with Gamba from the very beginning until the league title winning 2005 season. He earned the nickname of Mr. Gamba after making over 350 appearances for the club and he held the record of most goals until 2008 when his tally of 67 was beaten by Yasuhito Endo.

Source: J. League Official Site

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Season openers revealed!

The J. League has offered a taster of the upcoming fixtures to fans today.

Gamba Osaka will start the new league season at home to Nagoya Grampus in a repeat of Gamba's most recent match, the Emperor's Cup final. No doubt Grampus will be looking to avenge the defeat that denied them Champions League football.

The second match of the campaign will see Gamba make the short trip to the Nagai Stadium to face the pink of Cerezo Osaka in the first competitive derby since 2006, when Gamba won 3-1.

We will have all the fixtures for you as soon as they are released!

Source: J. League Official Site

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