Bottom three club Sporting de Gijon (3-9-3, 12 points) is set to face contending squad Villarreal CF (7-3-5, 26 points) in a 2016-2017 La Liga season match at the El Molinon Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 17.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:00 a.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Sporting Gijon is on a downward spiral right now with four losses in their last five games. The team is currently settled in the bottom three relegation area of the 20-team Spanish top flight table. They are three points ahead of 19th-place Granada and five points above cellar-dwellers Osasuna.
The Rojiblancos were nipped by middling squad Espanyol, 1-2, on the road at the Cornellà-El Prat Stadium last Sunday, as per ESPN.
It was a goalless first half of action for both sides as the two teams’ defenses have held on for the first 45 minutes of play.
Ecuadorian forward Felipe Caicedo broke the game’s deadlock in the 54th minute for Espanyol with a header from the center of the box off a cross by teammate Victor Sanchez following a set piece situation.
The hosts then doubled their lead right at the stroke of full-time with a goal by Brazilian forward Leo Baptistao before Sporting Gijon buried a consolation one in injury time courtesy of Croatian striker Duje Cop.
Meanwhile, Villarreal thrashed fellow reeling contenders Atletico Madrid, 3-0, at their home field of El Madrigal Stadium on Monday to snap a three-game winless slide, Daily Mail Online reported.
Villarreal opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a steal and a goal by midfielder Manu Trigueros as Atletico’s Tiago and Diego Godin made a passing mistake near Jan Oblak’s net.
The Yellow Submarine then doubled their lead 10 minutes later with a rebound goal by Mexican midfielder Jonathan dos Santos after his first attempt hit the post.
Head coach Fran Escribá’s side then sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal by Italian winger Roberto Soriano to complete their three-goal haul.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is another 3-0 rout by Villarreal.
Sporting Gijon starting lineup (5-4-1 formation): Cuellar; Amorebieta, Mere, Lopez, Babin, Douglas; Picon, Gomez, Ait Atmane, Carmona; Cop
Villarreal starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Asenjo; Costa, Ruiz, Mario, Alvaro; Soriano, Bruno, dos Santos, Trigueros; Sansone, Pato