2015 Gamba Osaka season
The 2015 Gamba Osaka season was Gamba Osaka's 22nd season in the J.League Division 1 and 28th overall in the Japanese top flight. It also includes the 2015 J.League Cup, 2015 Emperor's Cup, 2015 AFC Champions League, 2015 Japanese Super Cup and the 2015 Suruga Bank Championship.
Transfers
In
| Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date | Source | ||
| 24 | Shingo Akamine | Vegalta Sendai | Unknown | Dec 2014 | ||
| 18 | Yōsuke Fujigaya | Júbilo Iwata | Free transfer | Jan 2015 | ||
| 33 | Shōhei Ogura | Yokohama F. Marinos | Unknown | Dec 2014 | ||
| 20 | Shun Nagasawa | Shimizu S-Pulse | Unknown | 9 Jul 2015 |
Out
| Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date | Source | |
| Shota Kawanishi | Montedio Yamagata | Unknown | Dec 2014 | ||
| Kohei Kawata | Ventforet Kofu | Unknown | Dec 2014 | ||
| Atsushi Kimura | retired | Unknown | Dec 2014 | ||
| Naoki Ogawa | Fujieda MYFC | Loan | Dec 2014 | ||
| Kenya Okazaki | Ehime FC | Loan | Dec 2014 | ||
| Akihiro Sato | Tokushima Vortis | Unknown | Dec 2014 | ||
| Yuto Uchida | Tokushima Vortis | Loan | Dec 2014 | ||
| Shōhei Ogura | Montedio Yamagata | Loan | Aug 2015 |
First team squad
Pre-season friendlies
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F-A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 24 January 2015 | Persija | A | 4 - 0 | Usami Lins Patric |
Japanese Super Cup
Gamba started their domestic season on 28 February 2015 with a 2-0 victory over the 2014 J.League runners-up, the Urawa Red Diamonds in Yokohama. Both Gamba's goals came in the second half and were scored by Takashi Usami and Patric.| Round | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F-A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Final | 28 February 2015 | Urawa Red Diamonds | N | 2 - 0 | Usami Patric | 47,666 |
J.League 1
Starting from the 2015 season, it was announced that the J.League would again change back to a two-stage "mini-league". The winners of each stage and top three clubs of the aggregate table subsequently qualify for the Championship.First stage
| Round | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 1 | 7 March 2015 | FC Tokyo | H | Patric 45'+1, Usami 52' | 18,332 | 10th | |
| 2 | 14 March 2015 | Sagan Tosu | A | 17,695 | 13th | ||
| 3 | 22 March 2015 | Ventforet Kofu | A | Abe 62', Usami 64' | 13,047 | 9th | |
| 4 | 3 April 2015 | Nagoya Grampus | H | Usami 45'+1, 49' Konno 80' | 10,702 | 5th | |
| 5 | 12 April 2015 | Shimizu S-Pulse | A | Usami 30', 80', Patric 51' | 16,027 | 3rd | |
| 6 | 18 April 2015 | Shonan Bellmare | A | Usami 26', Endō 90' | 14,538 | 2nd | |
| 7 | 26 April 2015 | Albirex Niigata | H | Usami 48', Patric 84' | 17,417 | 2nd | |
| 8 | 29 April 2015 | Matsumoto Yamaga | H | Usami 16' | 17,173 | 2nd | |
| 9 | 2 May 2015 | Urawa Red Diamonds | A | 53,148 | 3rd | ||
| 10 | 10 May 2015 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | A | Lins 60' | 17,372 | 3rd | |
| 11 | 16 May 2015 | Kawasaki Frontale | H | Usami 43' | 18,842 | 2nd | |
| 12 | 30 May 2015 | Yokohama F. Marinos | A | Patric 90+5' | 35,044 | 4th | |
| 13 | 3 June 2015 | Kashima Antlers | H | Konno 41', Endō 52' | 13,110 | 2nd | |
| 14 | 7 June 2015 | Vissel Kobe | H | 18,437 | 4th | ||
| 15 | 20 June 2015 | Vegalta Sendai | H | Konno 33' | 14,616 | 4th | |
| 16 | 23 June 2015 | Kashiwa Reysol | A | 9,997 | 4th | ||
| 17 | 27 June 2015 | Montedio Yamagata | A | Usami 50', 59', 62' | 14,320 | 4th |
Match day line-ups
The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 J.League 1 First Stage:= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.
Second stage
Match day line-ups
The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 J.League 1 Second stage:= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.
Overall standings
Championship stage
Gamba's 3rd-place finish in the overall standings for J.League 1 in 2015 saw them paired against the Urawa Red Diamonds at the semi-final stage. Due to Urawa's higher placing, the match was played at Saitama Stadium 2002, Urawa's home ground. A 3-1 win after extra-time set up a two-legged final against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.| Round | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F-A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Semi-Final | 28 November 2015 | Urawa Red Diamonds | A | Konno 47', Fujiharu 118', Patric 120+1' | 40,696 | |
| Final | 2 December 2015 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | H | Nagasawa 60', Konno 82' | 17,844 | |
| Final | 5 December 2015 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | A | Konno 27' | 36,609 |
Match day line-ups
The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the J.League 1 Championship Stage:= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.
AFC Champions League
As 2014 J.League Division 1 champions, Gamba qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League. This was their 7th appearance in the competition and their first since 2012. They were drawn into Group F along with Buriram United of Thailand, Guangzhou R&F of China and Seongnam of South Korea. Gamba finished top of the group and along with Seongnam qualified for the Round of 16. As Group F winners they were paired against the runner-up of Group H who were FC Seoul. Gamba defeated Seoul 6-3 on aggregate and were paired with yet another Korean side, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the quarter finals. Following a scoreless draw in the first leg in Korea, Gamba sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory at home, with defender Koki Yonekura netting the winner in the 93rd minute to ensure their progression to the semi-finals where they were paired with Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande. A 2-1 defeat in China followed by 0-0 draw at home saw Gamba fall at the semi-final stage.| Round | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 1 | 24 February 2015 | Guangzhou R&F | H | 8,848 | 4th | ||
| 2 | 3 March 2015 | Seongnam | A | 7,813 | 4th | ||
| 3 | 18 March 2015 | Buriram United | H | Abe 39' | 6,469 | 4th | |
| 4 | 7 April 2015 | Buriram United | A | Lins 40', Omori 87' | 23,987 | 4th | |
| 5 | 22 April 2015 | Guangzhou R&F | A | Patric 14', 45', Abe 43', 68', Usami 70' | 8,647 | 2nd | |
| 6 | 6 May 2015 | Seongnam | H | Usami 64', Lins 82' | 12,821 | 1st | |
| 1/16 | 20 May 2015 | FC Seoul | A | Usami 62', 86', Yonekura 73' | 10,607 | N/A | |
| 1/16 | 27 May 2015 | FC Seoul | H | Patric 16', Kurata 45', Lins 86' | 9,597 | N/A | |
| QF | 26 August 2015 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | A | 23,633 | N/A | ||
| QF | 16 September 2015 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | H | Patric 14', Kurata 76', Yonekura 90+3' | 9,284 | N/A | |
| SF | 30 September 2015 | Guangzhou Evergrande | A | Feng 12' | 48,946 | N/A | |
| SF | 21 October 2015 | Guangzhou Evergrande | H | 17,310 | N/A |
Match day line-ups
The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 AFC Champions League:= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.
Suruga Bank Championship
The Suruga Bank Championship sees the winners of the previous season's J.League Cup and Copa Sudamerica face off in a one-off match. This saw Gamba take on Argentine giants River Plate. A 3-0 defeat at Osaka Expo '70 Stadium saw Gamba finish as runners-up.| Round | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F-A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Final | 11 August 2015 | River Plate | H | 12,722 |
J.League Cup
As a result of their qualification for the AFC Champions League, Gamba were given a bye into the quarter-finals of the League Cup, where they were paired against Nagoya Grampus in a two-legged encounter. After a dramatic 10-9 penalty shoot-out victory over Nagoya, in which goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya struck the winning penalty, Gamba were drawn against Albirex Niigata in the semi-finals. A 3-2 aggregate win over Niigata set up a final against Kashima Antlers which they lost 3-0.| Round | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F-A | Scorers | Attendance |
| QF | 2 September 2015 | Nagoya Grampus | H | Futagawa 6' | 6,064 | |
| QF | 6 September 2015 | Nagoya Grampus | A | 10-9 on pens | Abe 41', Iwashita 94' | 8,064 |
| SF | 7 October 2015 | Albirex Niigata | A | Omori 33' | 9,018 | |
| SF | 11 October 2015 | Albirex Niigata | H | Endō 57, Fujiharu 90+4' | 11,475 | |
| F | 31 October 2015 | Kashima Antlers | N | 50,828 |
Match day line-ups
The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 J.League Cup:= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.
Emperor's Cup
Due to their success in reaching the AFC Champions League semi-final, Gamba were given a bye to the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup where they were drawn away to fellow J-League 1 side Kawasaki Frontale. A 2-0 victory saw them progress to the quarter-finals where they were paired with another J-League 1 outfit, this time Sagan Tosu. A 3-1 win ensured they qualified for the semi-finals where they were again successful, this time beating 2015 J-League 1 Champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-0 in a match played at Nagai Stadium. The final was played at Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo on 1 January 2016 and saw Gamba triumph 2-1 against the Urawa Red Diamonds to retain the trophy.| Round | Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F-A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 4th round | 15 November 2015 | Kawasaki Frontale | H | Omori 45+2', Kurata 53' | 7,345 | |
| Quarter-Final | 26 December 2015 | Sagan Tosu | H | Usami 26', 79', Nagasawa 80' | 12,132 | |
| Semi-Final | 29 December 2015 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | N | Usami 7', 74', Nagasawa 90+1' | 17,027 | |
| Final | 1 January 2016 | Urawa Red Diamonds | N | Patric 32', 53' | 43,809 |
Match day line-ups
The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 Emperor's Cup:= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.
Squad statistics
Statistics accurate as of match played 1 January 2016.1 Includes 2015 J1 League Championship, 2015 Japanese Super Cup and 2015 Suruga Bank Championship appearances.