Gamba Osaka and Shimizu S-pulse square off for the 94th Emperor’s Cup final on 26 November at Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo.

Gamba clinched the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup earlier in this month. With the league match win last week over league-leading Urawa Reds on the road, the Hasegawa side still have a chance to win the three complete crowns by adding two more titles, the J.League title and Emperor’s Cup, for the first time since Kashima Antlers’ feat in 2000. Gamba won the Emperor’s Cup of the 88th in 2008 and the 89th in 2009 and took the runners-up at the 92nd two years ago.

Meanwhile, Shimizu have settled at the 15th on the J1 league table with only two matches left, being three points above 16th-placed Omiya Ardija at the potential delegation spot. As the Oenoki side are in the situation where they need to stay sharp, the team are not to be reckoned with. They got one win and one draw in the recent two matches. Ace striker Milivoje Novakovic has been the second top scorer in the league with 13 goals after he added two in the match against Nagoya last week.

“Emperor’s Cup is the only tournament we can aim at the title. We’ll all work together as a team for a victory,” said Forward Omae Genki with his enthusiasm for his side’s first title in 13 years.

Gamba and Shimizu played against each other at the 90th Cup in 2010, and Shimizu, led by Hasegawa Kenta, won the semi-final match 3-0 to halt Gamba’s third consecutive championship title. The current Gamba’s boss Hasegawa and Shimizu’s boss Oenoki Katsumi used to play on the same team at Shimizu Higashi High School and Shimizu S-pulse.

Another away match after a three-day break between matches could be one of the concerns for Gamba, compared to Shimizu who played at home last week. But midfielder Endo Yasuhito, who has led the team at both ends of the pitch in the midfield and kept his form with midfielder Konno Yasuyuki, does not seem to care about it, saying “Personally, I’d prefer staying active. I think no player says his body doesn’t move after we’ve got all the way here.”

The semi-final match between Gamba Osaka and Shimizu S-pulse is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. at Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo.

The final is set on Saturday 13 December at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, and the winner will gain the Japan champions crown along with a ticket to the AFC Champions League next year.

Semi-Final Matches

The 94th Emperor's Cup

Saturday  5 July to Saturday 13 December 2014
More Information