Sporting Gijon vs Athletic Bilbao preview - Bilic: Win would cap perfect week

Posted Sunday, October 30, 2011 by PA

Sporting Gijon are hoping to cap what could prove to be a crucial week in their season with a third successive victory on Sunday when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to El Molinon.

Sporting looked likely relegation candidates after taking just one point from their opening seven games, a run that left them rooted to the foot of the standings and four points adrift of safety.

However, the Asturian side finally got their first win of the campaign last weekend when they defeated Granada 2-0 at home, and they followed that up with a 2-1 comeback victory at Real Mallorca on Wednesday - a triumph that lifted them out of the bottom three and up to 17th spot.

Mate Bilic netted Sporting's equaliser in that match - the Croatian striker's first league goal in 19 months - and he is hoping his side can make it three out of three when Athletic make the short trip across the north of Spain.

"It (a win) would complete a perfect week," he said in AS.

"(The Mallorca victory) was very important for the squad and the fans. I'm very happy about the goal, but more so about the win. It's the second on the trot and they have arrived amid a difficult time. We were in the relegation places and now we are just above it.

"For us it was important to get out of the relegation zone. It was good to win at home, because we have to convert El Molinon into a fortress. There are games in which a draw could be a good result, but we cannot give away any points.

"I hope we can continue picking up points both against Athletic and Real Zaragoza. That would give us a lot of calm ahead of the international break."

Although not as bad as Sporting, Athletic also had a disappointing start to the season under new coach Marcelo Bielsa but, after picking up just one win from their opening seven league and European fixtures, they are now unbeaten in seven with four wins in their last six competitive games.

Striker Fernando Llorente, who scored twice in Thursday's 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid, said after their latest victory: "The team played at a spectacular level, with a great intensity that at the end left us a little tired. The goals were brilliant goals and now we need to continue along this line."