Espanyol - Gijon predictions and free betting tips [13/06/2024]

On Thursday, 13th June, Espanyol will host Sporting Gijón in the second leg of the Segunda Division play-offs. The Catalans secured a 1:0 victory on Sunday, giving them an excellent chance to advance, while their guests will need nothing less than a victory this time.

Stadium

The match will take place at the Stage Front Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat.

Espanyol

After being relegated from La Liga last season, Espanyol now have a chance to return to the top division, having amassed 69 points in 42 rounds of the Segunda, finishing fourth overall. The Catalans successfully conducted the first play-off match on Sunday in Gijón and achieved a narrow victory with Javi Puado's goal in the 88th minute, giving them the edge going into the second leg. This result extended Espanyol's impressive unbeaten run to 17 matches across all competitions, with their last defeat being a 2:0 loss to Racing Santander on 10th February, over four months ago.

Notably, the hosts have kept clean sheets in five of their last six encounters, and head coach Manolo González knows that another shutout would see "the Parakeets" advance to the play-off final, where they will meet either Eibar or Real Oviedo. Moreover, Espanyol haven't tasted defeat at home since early January, securing the third place in the home points tally in the Segunda with 44 points from 21 matches. 

Sporting Gijón

Having spent seven years in the Segunda, Sporting Gijón hopes to return to the top division for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. The Asturian club secured 65 points in 42 regular season games, finishing fifth and ensuring their first play-off appearance since losing in the semi-finals in the 2017-18 season. Failing to capitalise on home advantage, Miguel Ángel Ramírez’s side must now give their all in the return leg, especially given that the visitors have lost six of their last nine away matches across all competitions.

Encouragingly for their supporters, Sporting's last away match ended in a 0:1 victory against Eldense, thanks to Mesa's lone goal, ending a three-match winless run. Nonetheless, the team has struggled with attacking creativity, failing to score more than once in their previous four matches. 

Head-to-Head

In their last eight head-to-head meetings, Sporting have only won once, with three draws and four losses. Last week's encounter ended in Espanyol's favour (0:1).

Match Prediction: Espanyol vs. Sporting Gijón

Espanyol have avoided defeat in each of their last 17 matches across all competitions and have not lost at home to Segunda opponents since October. It is unlikely that "the Parakeets" will falter in this decisive home game, especially with the visitors struggling on the road this season. I am leaning towards another victory for the Catalan team.

Prediction on Total Goals

Neither team has scored more than two goals combined in any of their last six head-to-head encounters. With Espanyol already leading, they are unlikely to push too hard, so I am opting for a total under 2.5 goals.

Prediction on Corners

The battle will unfold in the midfield, with few chances being created. I predict a total under 8.5 corners (there were only 5 in the first match).

Prediction on Yellow Cards

Last weekend, the teams did not hold back in their duels, racking up eight yellow cards. The intensity is not expected to drop this time either, so I am betting on a total over 4.5 bookings.

Score Prediction

I am predicting a 1:0 victory for Espanyol.