Our prediction for this Segunda Division match:
Sporting Gijon play host to Leganes at their Estadio El Molinon on day 16 of the new La Liga 2 campaign. Sporting Gijon failed to win the previous four league fixtures, but their display in a 1-1 draw with Malaga was anything but poor. Serbia-born Montenegro striker Uros Djurdjevic is pushing for a recall, while both Alex Bamba and Nacho Mendez are sidelined with long-term injuries.
The capital club, on the other hand, aim to build on back-to-back wins over Ibiza and Ponferradina, and they must be high on spirits ahead of the trip to Gijon. Sporting, though, are tough to beat at home, and that is the main reason why we are going to put our money on draw. In their last meeting in the Spanish second tier the two sides played out a 1-1 draw. Fede Vico is banned for the visiting side.
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.