Two of La Liga’s relegation scrappers go head-to-head on Sunday as 19th place Gijón take on Deportivo La Coruña who currently sit above the drop-zone by a single point.
Having appointed Pepe Mel just two days ago, Depor got life under their new manager off to a very respectable start when they held Atlético Madrid to a 1-1 draw at Estadio Riazor on Thursday evening.
As is to be expected from two teams who’re battling for survival, defence has been a major issue for these two teams this season. Unsurprisingly, they’ve leaked far too many goals and have often been involved in high-scoring encounters. Such a trend is fancied to continue when they meet at El Molinón on Sunday. Therefore, backing ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ is the bet to be on.
This season really has been all about goals for Gijón, especially at home. The hosts have only failed to score in one of their 12 home fixtures this season, but, as of yet, have been unable to shut their opposition out and boast zero clean sheets. Rubi’s men have scored a very respectable 17 at El Molinón, but, in conceding no less than 29 at the other end, their defending has left plenty to be desired.
When playing away from home, defensively, Depor are in a similar boat. Having shipped 28 goals in 13 away fixtures, the visitors simply concede far too many. They may well have scored just 11 of their own, but they’ve found the net in four of their last five on the road, while in both scoring and drawing against the might of Atléti last time out, the visiting side proved that they are capable of mixing it on their day. On top of this, Pepe Mel’s new team will be very aware of Gijón’s defensive problems and should be confident of finding the net here.
Low-scoring matches have been very, very rare at El Molinón this season. Of Gijón’s 12 matches in front of a home crowd, just two have seen less than three goals hit the net, while both teams have scored in 11 of those. On this basis, coupled with the fact that Depor have kept just two clean sheets on the road this season, goals look inevitable. It really is tough to imagine either of these two teams, who’ve leaked goals for fun, keeping a clean sheet.
With both teams needing a win, and being aware of how poor the other is at the back, fans are likely to be treated to a high-tempo, attacking affair on Sunday, one that sees plenty of goal-mouth action.
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