Preview: Sporting de Gijon - Valladolid

Posted Friday, April 23, 2010 by Goal.com

A home win will go some way to securing los Rojiblancos’ presence in the top flight next season, hammering another nail into Pucela’s hopes in the process...

Kick Off: Sunday, April 25, 2010. 17:00 CET
El Molinon, Gijon

Close To Safety

With only five games of the campaign remaining, the pressure is really starting to build near the foot of La Primera Division, which presently sees as many as ten sides battling to secure their place in next season’s top flight. Amongst those desperate fighters are Sporting de Gijon and Valladolid, who meet on Sunday.

Of the two sides, los Sportinguistas are far the better placed. Sitting five points above the drop zone, it would take a rather spectacular collapse from Manuel Preciado’s side to be sucked back into the bottom three. If they are going to have a catastrophic conclusion to the campaign, it will begin against Pucela, but the Asturians will be going all out to secure the three points that will essentially seal their survival.

Last weekend, Sporting were hammered by Sevilla 3-0 away from home, though Preciado felt his side were hard done by. Both Mate Bilic and Jose Angel were dismissed, and the former’s expulsion particularly angered the coach, who saw it as a turning point in the game.

“Bilic’s sending off made the match impossible for us, and it killed our chances of winning the match,” the coach complained to the press. “We planned on keeping the score 0-0 to make Sevilla nervous, but after that dismissal it was difficult to come back from.”

At the time the forward was sent-off, 32 minutes into the game, Sporting were already trailing, and they will expect a far sharper start against opponents they should be aiming to defeat.

Hard Work Ahead

Effectively consigned to the Segunda Division only a few weeks ago, Valladolid have been shaken into something of a mini-resurgence by the appointment of Javier Clemente as their interim boss.

Since the former Spain coach took over, there has been more steel throughout Pucela’s performances. They have picked up five points from three games and have leaked only one goal in that period. Only four points from potential salvation, now is the time for the Castile and Leon side to really accelerate their push for safety.

Draws have really stunted the progress of Valladolid this season. With 14 losses, they are no worse off in that category than Getafe, yet the Madrid-based club lie on the fringes of the European race and have wasted virtually no energy this season fretting over the potential of being sucked into the relegation bracket.

The same cannot be said of Valladolid, who are already on their third coach of the term. Jose Luis Mendilibar was jettisoned near the beginning of 2010, but the decision to appoint Onesimo as his replacement proved an unmitigated disaster, from which the club are still slowly trying to overcome.

Two goals for in five games tells its own story, and though Clemente has made a promising start, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Last weekend’s scoreless draw against Malaga keeps them in touch, but not as close as they would like to be with five games remaining.

FORM GUIDE

Sporting

LOST 3-0 (a) Sevilla (Liga, April 17)

LOST 2-0 (h) Tenerife (Liga, April 13)

LOST 1-0 (a) Villarreal (Liga, April 10)

DREW 2-2 (h) Xerez (Liga, April 4)

DREW 0-0 (a) Espanyol (Liga, March 28)

Valladolid

DREW 0-0 (a) Malaga (Liga, April 18)

WON 2-1 (h) Sevilla (Liga, April 13)

DREW 0-0 (a) Tenerife (Liga, April 10)

LOST 2-0 (h) Villarreal (Liga, April 4)

LOST 3-0 (a) Xerez (Liga, March 28)

TEAM NEWS

Sporting

Alberto Botia, Rivera and Diego Castro have all trained normally with the first team this weekend, and coach Preciado is simply waiting with baited breath to see if any of them suffer a reaction to their recent problems.

Mate Bilic and Jose Angel are both banned after seeing red cards last weekend, though the latter may have his dismissal appealed.

Probable Starting XI: Juan Pablo; Lora, Botia, Gregory, Canella; Rivera, Smiljanic; Moran, De las Cuevas, Castro; Barral

Valladolid

Javier Clemente has laid out his side in a 4-4-2 formation in each of their last two matches, so it’s likely that they will stick by this setup for the trip to Gijon.

Justo Villar has not played in goal since picking up an injury a couple of weeks ago, so Jacobo is again poised to start. Alvaro Rubio, Jonathan Sesma, Sisi and Carlos Lazaro all missed last weekend’s game due to injuries, though Keko returns from international Under-19 duty.

Asier del Horno returns from a ban but Borja is instead missing.

Probable Starting XI: Jacobo; Lopez, Sereno, Arzo, Del Horno; Aleman, Medunjanin, Baraja, Barragan; Manucho, Diego Costa

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sporting

Offensive midfield Miguel de las Cuevas will be charged with supplying the ammunition to the lone forward, and the 23-year-old will hope to impress against a Valladolid side not known for their defensive acumen. A versatile player, the former Atletico Madrid man will hope to be more productive than he has in recent weeks, when he has frequently been pulled from the field early.

Valladolid

Last weekend Valladolid failed to muster a meaningful effort on target against lowly Malaga, and much better is needed in an attacking sense if they are to defeat Sporting. To that end, there will be significant expectation on the shoulders of Manucho, who must shoulder a fair portion of the goal scoring burden. With Diego Costa off form, the former Manchester United man must be at his best.

PREDICTION

Only once this season have Sporting suffered back-to-back home defeats, but their form in recent times has been poor, with no points or goals in any of their last three matches. It’s been six games since they last picked up three points, and the way things are going, with Valladolid in the ascendancy, that run may stretch to seven on Sunday. Whatever happens, it’s vitally important to the hosts that they don’t lose.

Sporting Gijon 1-1 Valladolid