With just 13 points on the board and the halfway mark of the season approaching, it’s unsurprising to find Sporting de Gijon in the relegation zone. The Asturian side have never looked convincing all season, and unless they can find some results soon, the run-in promises to be long and hard. A home encounter against Hercules doesn’t promise to be especially easy, but the points have to start flowing.
Manuel Preciado remains in charge of the side, despite a 1-1 draw with Racing Santander that marked the club’s 11th game without a league win, and though defeats have not been commonplace in recent times, draws will not be good enough to secure the club’s safety.
“I am convinced that if we'd scored earlier we had taken the game,” Preciado explained to the media last weekend. “The situation is not dying.”
The Asturians have called upon at least one reinforcement, in the form of Andre Costa on loan from Porto, to bolster their side, and club president Emilio dos Dias has indicated that there could be further additions to follow.
Costa is a dynamic midfielder whose over-riding strength is his excellent team play, and it will take such unselfish players to extract Sporting from the position they currently find themselves.
An Average Team
Hercules, after a rather sluggish start to the season overall, have started to establish themselves as a mid-table force in the Primera Division. The Alicante side may only have won promotion out of the Segunda last term, but such was the investment made in the squad that safety was expected, rather than simply a target.
The big names came to the fore last Monday night, when they produced one of their most memorable performances of the campaign. Faced with unpredictable Atletico Madrid, a side whose confidence is low, los Herculanos played some of their best stuff, recording a 4-1 win that didn’t flatter them in the slightest.
“We played a very complete match, especially with an exceptional first-half,” David Trezeguet, who has scored in seven home fixtures, explained to the press after the game. “When we play like this, it is impressive.
"Now, we must find a solution to win away from Alicante. If we look at where we get our points, we can see we are an average team. There is still plenty of room for improvement, and we hope to do well against Sporting.”
Esteban Vigo’s men have picked up only one victory on their travels this season, and if they can remedy that issue, there will be nothing stopping Hercules from pushing into the top 10.
TEAM NEWS
Sporting
Sergio Matabuena has been released and allowed to join Valladolid, but on the other hand, los Rojiblancos have captured young midfielder Andre Castro, who is expected to debut on Sunday.
Lora and Diego Castro have both returned to training, while Nacho Novo and Luis Moran are slightly questionable due to a muscular problem and flu respectively.
Alberto Botia is injured and Jose Angel is banned.
Hercules
Abraham Paz has picked up a hamstring injury in training and won’t be involved in the weekend’s clash. Olivier Thomert also has muscular complaints, so his place in the squad is not certain.
Tiago Gomes’ return from action has been put back by flu, which has prevented him from training with the squad.
Prediction
Though Hercules are no great shakes away from home, Sporting don’t look like winning in the near future. The 1-1 draw specialists may have to settle for their favourite result once again, though three points would be invaluable.
Sporting de Gijon 1-1 Hercules 
