Sporting de Gijon are one of nine teams involved in an extremely congested battle against the drop. The foot of the Primera Division sees a large group of sides clustered around the 20 point mark, and only Malaga are guaranteed to be in the relegation zone come the end of the weekend. Los Sportinguistas could easily get sucked into danger, particularly as they are unlikely to take anything from Barcelona on Saturday.
The form of Manuel Preciado’s side has actually been pretty good in recent times. January proved a fruitful month for the Asturian outfit, who picked up three successive wins before eventually losing last weekend away to Athletic Bilbao.
“Losing in San Mames is not a trauma,” the coach explained after the game, relatively satisfied with what he saw from his team, who had been reduced to 10 men when Gregory Arnolin was dismissed with less than 20 minutes gone. “We know our challenge and we will fight to the death in it.”
If Sporting can maintain a decent level over the course of the next couple of months, they’ll be in excellent shape to win safety. Many of the league’s best sides are to be faced in the immediate future, so they’ll rely on their form in the closing weeks of the campaign to see them home.
Records Still Tumbling
Barcelona broke yet another record last weekend, defeating Atletico Madrid to set a new mark for consecutive victories in the Primera Division. Pep Guardiola’s side have now won their last 16 matches and remain on course for a quite breathtaking campaign. The style continues to flow as readily as the wins – of those 16 matches, on all but three occasions they’ve mustered at least three goals.
Guardiola is not a coach who will allow his team to relax, and he will doubtless point out the difficulty that Sporting gave Barca at Camp Nou earlier this season. La Blaugrana struggled to a 1-0 victory on that occasion, though it’s fair to say their level has risen a number of gears since then.
Lionel Messi remains the main driving force, as Atleti learned last weekend when the Argentine scored a terrific hat-trick at Camp Nou, but the team as a whole is playing impressively.
Arguably the best news Barca have received over the course of the last seven days comes away from the field, with Guardiola having successfully negotiated terms of a new contract. The Barca icon is now set to sign until the end of 2012 on February 22, and should he complete that term he will become the fourth longest serving manager in the club’s history.
La Blaugrana as a unit are as strong as ever and have the chance to once again go 10 points clear of Real Madrid if they pick up maximum points on Saturday. While outlasting their great rivals is the primary objective, there are all kinds of sub-goals being chased by this remarkable side, including the attainment of 100 points.
TEAM NEWS
Sporting
Alberto Lora and Gregory Arnolin are both suspended, so coach Manuel Preciado is hopeful that Sebastian Eguren shakes off a shoulder knock to play. The tactician has barely touched his starting XI in recent weeks, so minimal changes were expected.
Barcelona
Jeffren and Carles Puyol are the only two absentees for Barca, who have seen all their internationals return in a fit state.
Prediction
It’s hard to see even the best teams stopping Barcelona just now, and Sporting de Gijon don’t fall into that bracket. Expect another simple away win for la Blaugrana.
Sporting de Gijon 0-3 Barcelona 
