Our prediction for this Segunda Division match:
Sporting Gijon and Leganes go head to head at Estadio El Molinon in what is expected to be a very exciting showdown. Los Rojiblancos made a promising start to the season, with the team leading the chase for automatic promotion to La Liga. The good news for the hosts is that key attacker Uros Djurdjevic returns from international duty, with Victor Campuzano likely to drop to the bench.
The capital club, on the other hand, sit in the relegation zone ahead of Matchday 5. Leganes have been struggling to find their form at the start of the season, and seeing that Sporting are a real force to be reckoned with at home, the visitors are likely to return to Madrid empty-handed. It has to be noted that only 2000 spectators are allowed to enter “El Molinon” for Friday’s clash, all local.
Highlighted Player (Diego Marino):
Diego Marino is a Spanish goalkeeper who plays for Sporting Gijon. The 185-cm-tall shoot-stopper was born on 9 May, 1990 in Vigo and he played for the likes of Santa Marina, Rapido Bouzas, Sardoma, Areosa and Villarreal during his youth career. Between 2008 and 2010 he played for Villarreal C and in 2010 he started playing for Villarreal B.
Marino made 72 appearances for Villarreal B and in 2012 he joined the first team. He was not Villarreal’s first-choice goalkeeper in the 2012/2013 campaign and he made no more than nine appearances for the Yellow Submarine. In the 2015/2016 season he played for Levante, but following their relegation to Segunda Division, Diego Marino decided to sign a deal with Sporting Gijon on 1 July, 2016.
The goalkeeper has 6 caps for Spain U-21, while playing 3 games for Spain U23. It has to be noted that he won UEFA U-21 Championships in 2011 and 2013 with La Furia Roja. Back in 2007 he made it to the FIFA U-17 World Cup final with the Spanish national team.
Highlighted Team (Leganes):
Leganes are a Spanish football club that have mostly been playing in lower leagues. Los Pepineros play their home games at Batarque (Madrid) and the capacity of the stadium is just 8,138. Leganes secured their promotion to the Spanish La Liga for the first time ever in 2016 and, no doubt, that is considered the club’s biggest success.
Leganes’ bitterest rivals are fellow capital club Getafe and there have always been fireworks when the two teams take on each other in the South Madrid derby.
The colour of the team’s home kit is white and blue, whilst their away kits are green. The likes of Pierre Webo, Samuel Eto’o, Ivan Zarandona, Jose Chamot, Catanha, Ruben Falcon, Jordi Lardin and Pedro Lago are famous players who were part of the Batarque outfit in the past. Lady Maria Victoria Pavon is the first female president in the history of the club and she has been in charge of the club since 2009.