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Espanyol Barcelona will try to continue the very good run of form when they host relegation battlers Sporting Gijon in Primera Division’s 15th round.
Espanyol is sitting on the 12th place right now, but that is not an accurate reflection of their strength. The hosts made a lot of investments during the summer and needed some time to click, but they have started doing so and are in great form recently. Espanyol has not lost any of the last 9 matches in all competitions and have kept 5 consecutive clean sheets in La Liga (7 in the last 8 games). What’s more, Espanyol is just 4 points behind the 6th place and a win today could see them climb up as high as 8th.
Gijon is on the back of a 3-1 home win against fellow relegation candidates Osasuna. It was the first victory for Gijon in the last 8 matches in all competitions and it has not helped the visitors get out of the red zone, as they are currently 18th in the standings. Playing away has been a real struggle for Gijon this season, with the visitors winning just 2 points in 7 road matches in La Liga. They haven`t won away since January.
Bet on Espanyol – Sporting Gijon and claim your 150% welcome bonus at 18Bet now!Team news & lineups:
Espanyol has injury dounts over Piatti and Alvarez, but otherwise have a fully healthy squad. Gijon will miss Ndi, while Castro and Lillo are doubtful.
Espanyol: Diego Lopez – Sanchez, Reyes, Lopez, Caricol – Perez, Fuego, Jurado, Piatti – Baptistao, Gerard
Sporting Gijon: Cuellar – Douglas, Lillo, Amorenieta, Mere, Lopez – Carmona, Alvarez, Rachid, Gomez – Cop
This Espanyol side might not be good enough to qualify for Europe yet, but the investments they made this summer are already starting to pay off and the hosts should have no problems finishing in the top half of the table.
Espanyol is definitely able to keep a clean sheet against Gijon after doing so in the last 5 La Liga matches, so the real question is if their offense will do the job. The hosts can struggle to score, but against a weak Gijon team they should be able to find the net at least once or twice – especially considering how poor Gijon is away from home.
I`m choosing to bet on Espanyol to win here, with reasonably high stakes invested on this tip. Prediction: Espanyol Barcelona – Sporting Gijon 2-0.
Pick: Espanyol
Odds: 1.75 @ 18Bet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6
Event date: 11 December
