With only three rounds of action left in the Spanish La Liga, teams are preparing themselves to finish on a positive note, at least for the fans who have been supporting them throughout the season. This weekend will feature full slate of Round 36, but our focus will be on two double match-previews that we have prepared for the Saturday afternoon games. The first one brings a clash between two teams from the top half, and the second clash is between two teams from the lower half of the table. The relegation battle will be on line when the strugglers Sporting Gijon, welcome Las Palmas, in a bid to stay in the top flight next season. This match is followed by Atletico Madrid welcoming Eibar, after a poor performance against local rivals Real Madrid in the champions league in the midweek, hoping for a response to please the fans.
SPORTING GIJON vs UD LAS PALMAS
3-way: 1: SPORTING GIJON-169; X: +397 Draw; 2: UD LAS PALMAS+475
Spread -1: SPORTING GIJON -106; UD LAS PALMAS +104
Total +3.5: Over +116; Under -130
SPORTING DE GIJON
Sporting Gijon has found life in the top division pretty difficult to cope with. After getting promoted two years ago, they have occupied the bottom spots. They narrowly avoided relegation last season, which doesn’t look like a feat that can be repeated this season. However, it is mathematically possible, and for that, they will have to start by picking all three points against visitors Las Palmas this weekend.
Occupying the 18th position in the league table, they have been woeful throughout the season in the Spanish La liga, having won only 24 points, with 15 of them coming at home. They are winless in their last two games, with a 1:1 draw against Espanyol at home, being followed by a 3:1 away defeat against Villareal. They are winless in their last 7 games in the league. Their home record over the last six matches is 1-2-3.
They have only scored a paltry 38 goals, which is just a handful than Leo Messi has managed on his own in the Spanish La Liga, which shows how poor they have been in front of the goal. 23 of those goals have come at home. Their defense has been horrible this season. They have conceded a massive 70 goals in the league, 36 of those in front of the home crowd. They have only kept 5 clean sheets in the league. Their most frequent result this season has been a 2:1 loss, which highlights their poor performances this season.
Gijon’s top scorer this season has been Duje Cop, with 9 goals, with Carlos Carmona following with 6 goals. The top assister for the team has been Moi Gomez, with 4 assists so far. The team doesn’t have many concerns when it comes to injuries and suspensions. Lillo Castellano is recovering from a sprained ankle, and hence is a doubt for the match. On the positive, Lacina Traore is back in training, along with Juan Rodriguez, and maybe take part in the game.
UD LAS PALMAS
Las Palmas sits 14th in the Spanish La Liga table, and are assured of top flight status for the next season, and if they win the remaining games, they can go to a maximum of 10th position, provided other results are favorable for the team. Their quest for the top flight competition next season needs to start off by taking points against the massively struggling Sporting Gijon team, who they face away this weekend.
Sitting in the bottom half of the table with 3 games to go, it is mathematically impossible for Las Palmas to strike into the top half. They can, however improve their current record (i.e. 1-1-4, for the last six games), by winning the remaining matches which would give them a higher ranking this season. Of the 39 points they have collected this season, 33 have come at home, which suggests they have been poor on the road, something that they need to improve to get a good result this weekend.
They have scored a total of 52 goals this season, the 7th highest in the Spanish La Liga, out of which, 32 have come in the home matches. They have been winless in their last five matches. In their last two matches, they were defeated by Leganes and Atletico Madird 0:3 and 0:5 respectively. They have conceded a total of 66 goals this season, keeping only 5 clean sheets so far, with 21 of them coming at home.
Midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng has the highest number of goals on the team, with 10, followed by Jonathon Viera with 7. Viera is the highest assist maker, with 7 to his name for the team.
In the medical department, Jonathon Viera, along with Vicente Gomez, and Tana, are big doubts for the match, as they are still recovering from injuries. However, Las Palmas have suspension woes. Jese, Boateng, Marko Livaja, all are suspended for the match, which leaves the team short on first team choices.
SPORTING GIJON VS UD LAS PALMAS MATCH PREDICTION
This match has considerable effect on the survival hopes of the home team. They need to win this match to get some confidence, and strive for more wins, in order to have any chance of remaining in the Spanish La Liga. However their performances haven’t been up to that level yet, but considering the fact that the visitors, Las Palmas have been extremely poor on the rood, should give Sporting some hope of getting all three points in this match. And to add to that, Las Palmas is having shortage of key men on the team. With all being said, my pick will be to go on the total goals. Namely, in 4 of the last 5 games Gijon has combined for 4+ goals, while Las Palmas has done that in 5 of their last 7 games. Therefore I will take the +116 on +3.5 goals.
TOTAL: over +3.5 goals (+116)
ATLETICO MADRID vs SD EIBAR
3-WAY: 1: ATLETICO MADRID -303; X: +500; 2: SD EIBAR +1350
Spread -1.5: ATLETICO MADRID +100; SD EIBAR -104
Total +2.5: Over -109; Under +110
ATLETICO MADRID
After a 3:0 humbling in the Champions league by their local rivals Real Madrid in the midweek, Atletico Madrid would be dying to show a quick response to maintain the faith of the fans. The midweek display was poor by all standards of the Madrid based team, who are known for their intensity and cohesion, which was highly lacking in the defeat at the Bernabeu. Apart from players like Carrasco, no player managed to display some effort, not even the French star Antoine Griezman. It is important now, that they deliver a superb performance when they welcome the 8th placed Eibar in a bid to preserve their position in the top three and get a direct Qualification to the Champions League competition next season.
Occupying the third spot in the Spanish La Liga, Los Rojiblancos have accumulated a total of 71 points this season, with 38 of those points coming at the Vicente Calderon, their home stadium that they will leave after this season. Their home record over the last 6 games is 4-0-2. Of their last two matches in the Spanish La Liga, they suffered an agonizing 0:1 defeat against Villareal at home, and followed it with a thumping win, 5:0 against Las Palmas. Their most common score is a 1:0 win, which shows how efficient Los Rojiblancos are when it comes to shutting out a game.
With strikers like Gameiro, Griezmann, Torres, it is only right that Atletico are lethal in terms of scoring goals. They have scored a total of 65 goals, with 36 of those coming at home. Their defense, as everybody knows, is usually watertight. They have the best defense in the league, with only 25 goals conceded, 13 of them being in front of the home crowd. In the process, they have collected an impressive 19 clean sheets.
French star Antoine Griezmann, the most favorite player for the transfer rumors to attack, has dispelled any rumors and asked everyone to let him focus on his game currently. He is the highest scorer for the team in the league, with 16 goals, the 5th highest in the league. Next is his compatriot Kevin Gameiro has scored 12 goals in the league. Argentine Angel Correa leads the way for the team in terms of assists, by having 8 to his name.
They do have defensive woes when it comes to injuries and suspensions. Defenders Juanfran and Jose Gimenez, are both out for the clash, and will return only later this month, as they recover from thigh injuries. Sime Vrsaljko is a doubt due a to knee injury. However, Matias Fernandez and Bernabe are back in training. Defender Stefan Savic is suspended for the weekend clash.
SD EIBAR
SD Eibar are still mathematically in the hunt for European finish. This should motivate the players to give their all for the last three matches, and hence, win the remaining fixtures. The club should be satisfied with a finish in the top 8, as Eibar are currently at 8th position in the Spanish La Liga, and their position is threatened by only Espanyol, who are 4 points behind them. Eibar must be careful for their trip to the Vicente Calderon this weekend, as they are going to face a humiliated Atletico Madrid, a team that is waiting to get a good result for the fans, and to maintain their top 3 position.
Sitting at the 8th spot in the Spanish La Liga, Eibar has collected a total of 54 points, out of which, 33 have come at home, which indicates that they are better at home than on the road. Their away form over the last 6 away games is 2-3-1. Of their last two matches in the league, they are unbeaten. They drew away at Deportivo Alaves, and followed it up with a decent 2:0 home win against Leganes. A 1:1 draw has been the most common result for the los Armeros, which has occurred five times.
They have scored a decent 45 goals, the 5th most in the league. 29 of those goals have come in front of the home crowd. Defensively, they aren’t really spectacular, conceding 45 goals, 25 of them being away, while keeping 10 clean sheets in the process. They haven’t conceded in the last 2 games.
Sergi Enrich and Pedro Leon are the highest scorers for the team in the Spanish La Liga, with 11 and 10 goals respectively. Sergi Enrich is not just putting the ball in the net, as he is also helping his teammates to score, which is highlighted by the fact that he has 6 assists for his team, the highest by anyone in the Eibar squad in the league.
One area of concern is from the medical room. Fran Rico, and Antonio Luna Rodriguez are out due to knee and hamstring injuries respectively. Nano and Ander Capa are doubts for the match. The return of Bebe in the training sessions has been a positive for the squad. Takashi Inui is a doubt as he has been out of the squad due to personal reasons.
ATLETICO MADRID vs SD EIBAR MATCH PREDICITON
Even though Eibar is having a decent season, the opponents they are going to face are no pushovers. Atletico Madrid is a wounded animal at the moment, after suffering a tough loss in the Champions League during the midweek. Considering that they will play the Real Madrid next week again in the return fixture, I expect a somewhat different lineup on the pitch, but this should not mean that they will allow the visitors to take away some points.
On the other side, the visitors would be more than happy to win a single point, which is why I expect the defenses on both sides to show up and perform well.
On that note, I will take the under 2.5 goals offered at a very appealing +110.
TOTAL: Under 2.5 goals (+110)
