The Spanish Primera Liga action on Monday evening focuses firmly on the relegation battle as second-bottom Villarreal play host to a Sporting Gijon outfit just one place and two points ahead of them.
It has been a miserable campaign for the Yellow Submarine, whose supporters over the years have been more used to battling it out for Champions League football at the top end of the table. However this fixture is arguably as big as any tussles they may have had in the past to push for a top-four finish as they are in desperate need of the maximum points in this clash at El Madrigal.
Jose Francisco Molina’s side continued their struggles after the winter break after they followed up a creditable 2-2 derby home draw against high-flying neighbours Valencia with a dismal 3-0 drubbing away at Atletico Madrid last week, to leave them in perilous trouble in 19th position, but not cut adrift of safety just yet.
Therefore a win against the team directly above them would be just the tonic for Villarreal and they are set to be boosted by the fitness of leading scorer Marco Ruben, as the Argentinian has shaken off a muscular problem and is feeling in good shape.
Looking ahead to the important fixture, Ruben said: “This game is worth three points, we know and we are clear the difficulty [Sporting will pose]. But these are the games you have to win and go all for it.”
Villarreal’s task will be made all the more difficult by the fact Sporting Gijon will arrive on the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 home win against a big-spending Malaga side last weekend.
However, they marked their return from the break with a 2-0 defeat at mid-table Real Betis so need to rediscover the away form which has helped them pick up two wins on the road from eight games this term.
Sporting Gijon coach Manuel Preciado will be hampered slightly on the injury front as he assembles a 22-man squad for the trip as Ricardo and Gaston Sangoy are unlikely to feature. Looking ahead to the game and both sides know a win would enhance their survival hopes, but that could result in a touch of nerves from both sets of players which will not make for a classic encounter.
The previous meetings between these two sides have been closely-fought matches with last season’s head-to-head at El Madrigal ending in a 1-1 draw, while the return fixture also finished with the same score-line. The 2009/10 season saw both sides win their respective home games 1-0, while Villarreal did the double on Sporting Gijon in the previous campaign but the winning margin has only ever been by one goal.
All the signs are that it will not be a classic and it could be that both sides will have to settle for a share of the spoils.
Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 12/5
Value Bet: Villarreal/Draw HT/FT @ 16/1
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