Shonan Bellmare have spent the last six weeks mired in the bottom of the table, but they have four points from their last two matches and have the chance to climb out of the relegation zone when they meet Gamba Osaka on Saturday at 7 pm JST in a match that will be streamed live on the J.League International YouTube channel.
Bellmare’s recent surge has come despite the departure of Shuto Machino, who is now playing in Europe. A burgeoning total team attack has helped stemmed the loss of their bright young star, but an increasingly sturdy defense has been the real key. If the defense can help them to victory in Osaka, they could climb over Yokohama FC and Kashiwa Reysol, who are only one point ahead of them, and get them out of the bottom.
Gamba know what a climb from the bottom looks like. They were bottom of the table earlier this season before running off an eight-match unbeaten streak that took them solidly into the midtable and completely changed their season. That excellent run ended last week when they fell to Yokohama F·Marinos, but it was a tight game against the joint-top team in J1 so there is no hint of a dip in form.
The J.League announced that up to four matches will be streamed live each week for the 2023 season, bringing one of Asia’s top league’s to fans around the world. The streams will be free to view on the J.League International YouTube channel in any country that does not have an existing rights agreement.
