Real Madrid vs Sporting Gijon Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

Preview

Joel Amorim Jan 13, 2016 @ 01:36 am

Next Sunday, 17th of January 2016, a somewhat rejuvenated Real Madrid will take on a fragilized Sporting de Gijón at the emblematic Santiago Bernabéu for Round 20 of the Spanish Liga BBVA.

The former French star Zinedine Zidane started his adventure as Real Madrid’s head coach off on the right foot by clawing a heavy win over Deportivo de La Coruña at Santiago Bernabéu. After the 2-2 draw at Mestalla and the subsequent Rafa Benitez’s departure, no one would have certainly expected that Real Madrid would achieve a 5-0 win over an usually complicated opponent such as Deportivo de La Coruña.

The versatile Welsh winger Gareth Bale was the man of the match by netting a hat-trick and putting up an almost vintage performance. Karim Benzema seems also to be back to his good old days as he scored the two remaining Real Madrid’s goals last weekend.

Real Madrid seem to be motivated after Zidane’s arrival and the upcoming clash against Sporting de Gijón might present a good opportunity for them to grant the three points at Santiago Bernabéu once again.

For that particular match, Zidane will not be able to rely on the services of the Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who is currently suspended. Sergio Ramos, who is still dealing with a muscle injury, is in doubt for the match.

As for Sporting de Gijón, the Asturian team extended their poor streak of results last weekend after being defeated at El Madrigal by the super motivated Villarreal. Despite the 2-0 defeat, Abelardo’s men put up a good performance and displayed some pleasant football throughout the entire match once again. A defensive mistake allowed Cédric Bakambu to open the score in the first-half and, after the break, the Congolese striker netted his second of the day with a superb effort inside the box.

For their complicated travel to Santiago Bernabéu, the Asturian team head coach Abelardo will not be able to count on the services of Bernardo, who suffered a knee injury last weekend and will miss the rest of the season. Sporting’s Croatian superstar Alen Halilovic is also in doubt for the match due to an elbow injury.

Real Madrid

Stats: W-3 L-1 D-1

Recent Form - WDWWL

Sporting de Gijón

Stats: W-1 L-3 D-1

Recent Form - LLLDL

Possible Line-ups

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1) – Navas - Carvajal - Pepe - Varane - Marcelo - Kroos - Modric - Isco - Ronaldo - Bale - Benzema

Sporting de Gijón (4-2-3-1) - Cuéllar - Lora - Mere - Hernández - López Blanco - Mascarell - Cases - Halilovic - Menendez - Jonathan - Sanabria

Injury List / Suspended Players

Real Madrid - Kovacic (sus) - Sergio Ramos (in doubt)

Sporting de Gijón - Bernardo (inj) - Halilovic (in doubt)

Head-to-head matches:

League Positions