Gijon - Espanyol predictions and free betting tips [09/06/2024]

On Sunday, 9 June, Sporting Gijon will host Espanyol in the first leg of the Segunda play-offs. The Catalan club finished fourth in the standings, four points ahead of the hosts, and both teams are motivated to achieve promotion.

Stadium

The match will take place in Gijon at the El Molinón Stadium.

Sporting Gijon

Having spent several years in the Segunda, Sporting Gijon is back in the play-offs and will do everything possible to achieve the coveted promotion. The hosts finished 5th in the championship standings, claiming 18 wins, 11 draws, and 13 losses in 42 matches, earning 65 points. Moreover, the Red and Whites managed two consecutive victories in the final rounds – against Eibar, who finished third (1-0), and a narrow win over Eldense (1-0) thanks to goals from Miguel Ángel Ramírez.

This season, Sporting Gijon has performed confidently at home, amassing 42 points in 21 matches on their turf (seventh-best in the division, with 32 goals scored, 18 conceded). Importantly, the Stripes managed to keep three clean sheets in their last five matches in all competitions. 

Espanyol

After relegating from La Liga last season, Barcelona's Espanyol aims to return to the top tier but accumulated too few points in the regular Segunda championship to compete with Leganes and Valladolid in the race for the top two. On the other hand, the Blue and Oranges finished in the top four, going 16 matches unbeaten (not losing since 10 February) towards the end of the campaign.

However, there was a slight downside: during this period, they won only six matches and drew 10. In their last match, Espanyol thrashed Cartagena 3-0 at home, thanks to goals from Puado, Braithwaite, and Melamed. It is worth noting that Espanyol performed very well away from home, finishing third overall in points earned on the road. 

Head-to-Head

Sporting Gijon hasn't lost to Espanyol this season, winning the first match at home (2-0) and drawing in Catalonia (0-0).

Match Prediction: Sporting Gijon vs Espanyol

This is just the first leg of the tie, but it will have significant importance for the teams' morale ahead of the return match. Clearly, Espanyol are the favourites and boast much more experience in the top tier. Despite their unconvincing performances against Gijon this season (one draw, one loss), the Parakeets should prevail. Note that the visitors are unbeaten in 16 consecutive matches across all competitions, so confidently bet on Espanyol's double chance.

Total Goals Prediction

In three of the last four head-to-head encounters, these teams haven't exchanged goals. Both sides understand the importance of not conceding on Sunday, so I predict a total under 2.5 goals.

Corner Kicks Prediction

With the support of their home crowd, Sporting should logically take the initiative and attack more actively, so I predict the hosts to win on corners.

Yellow Cards Prediction

In all four previous head-to-head meetings, these teams have collectively earned more than six yellow cards, so it's unlikely the intensity will drop now. I predict a total of over 4.5 yellow cards.

Score Prediction

I predict a 0-0 draw.