Sporting Gijon-Mallorca

By: Jeremy | February 28th, 2009

For everyone out there who felt like we were free falling into certain relegation, let it be known we arent ready to give up yet. While we are still in the relegation zone on goal difference, recent results have brought more teams into the mix for relegation and have kept us in sight of safety. Every team from 8th place Bilbao on down is still a candidate to be relegated. While beating Racing 1-0 at home last week, Mallorca continued to show much fortitude and is so far one of the better teams in the second half of the season, even if we are only five weeks in. With a modest unbeaten run, which includes a win on the road, we are now ready to face another tough week with a winnable road match and the second leg of the Copa semi final a few days later.

For those of you who can remember that far back, we entered week six of the season on a similar run placing us up higher then expected with games coming up against Sporting, a team that lost their first five games, and other bottom feeder clubs. After losing to them at home, we suddenly turned into the team everyone wanted to face in order to build momentum of stop a run of bad results. Sporting used the road win against us to get its first points of the year and began a run of six games without a loss that put them safely midtable. We then followed up with even more humiliating losses to bottom placed teams. For all that has gone on since, we sit just three points behind them and a win likely gets us out of the relegation zone. Their position is a little misleading as they are coming off three straight losses against the big three so they will have an easier finish then us. Racing faced a similar schedule situation when they came to Palma last week, took us lightly, and we stole a win.

Sporting is the only team in La Liga that has not played a match to a draw. They prefer to attack and dont play too conservatively. This makes for exciting football which leads to dramatic good and bad results. They wont look at the past three matches as a reason to switch to the conservative style Mallorca has been playing and should come out trying to establish their home field advantage with a quick goal, which Mallorca is known to give up. If we can weather their early attack, we can win this game.

For all the talk about the loss of Moya and the nameless backline, it is Mallorcas offense that has been dreadful. 1-0 wins are great, but playing for these kind of results will not allow for enough points to be achieved over multiple matches for safety to be achieved. With the team entering its portion of the schedule that should produce points, they will need for the offense to step up. With Arango doubtful for the game in addition to Nunes being out, Aduriz will need to play a great game and Webo might have to show something unless Trejo is given a chance to play. Why this offense scores so few goals is beyond me.

With a midweek game to follow against Barca in the Copa, Mallorca might lack concentration, but hopefully Manzano has them focused on this game as it is winnable despite being on the road and the result is way more important then even a Copa semi against Barca. A win against Sporting will increase the slowly growing confidence and you never know what then may happen midweek.

With Sportings frantic style of play and what they did to us in the first meeting still in Mallorcas memory, the team should step up and could even produce a win with more then one goal scored. I do think this will be a more wide open game with Sporting getting its first draw of the year.

Prediction

Sporting Gijon 2-2 Mallorca