Real Madrid face off against Sporting de Gijón in the last La Liga match before El Clásico. Alex McVey looks forward to the match with a quick preview.
Real Madrid travel to Asturias to face off against 18th place Sporting de Gijón tomorrow. Madrid will be looking to secure all 3 points in order to maintain their cushion heading into El Clásico against Barcelona the following week.
With Leganés sitting 5 points clear of 18th place Sporting, it looks like the Rojiblancos from Gijón are likely candidates to be relegated this season.
Twt | Nacho: Great victory to take the first step. On Tuesday we need to move forward. Now thinking about Sporting. ⚽⚽⚽ #team pic.twitter.com/W3786OnL8u
— RMadrid Info Help (@RMadridInfoHelp) April 13, 2017
They are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, and the worst defensive team at home, according to Statto. They have conceded 32 goals at home in the league this season.
To put that in context, Real Madrid have conceded fewer total goals (31) both at home and away in the league.
Safe to say, Sporting should be a fairly easy test for Los Blancos. According to WhoScored, Sporting is decent when protecting a lead, but bad at finishing chances, creating chances, defending down the wings, and defending against aerial chances. Those weaknesses should all play into Real Madrid’s strengths.
Last time these teams faced off, Ronaldo bagged a brace to help defeat Sporting 2-1 at the Bernabéu.
This time, however, Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the return match. He was feeling some discomfort at the end of the Bayern game, and is one yellow card away from suspension. It only makes sense, therefore, for Zidane to leave the Portuguese talisman out of the lineup ahead of the tough midweek fixture against Bayern Munich.
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This match against relegation-threatened Sporting would provide an excellent time for Zidane to give much-needed minutes to crucial squad players like Isco, James, Morata, Asensio, and Kovačić. Be on the lookout for some serious rotations.