Espanyol on a 16-Game Unbeaten Streak
Sporting de Gijón vs. Espanyol Odds: Play-off Semifinal First Leg
Historic Clubs Face off in Play-off Semifinal
Neither Sporting de Gijón nor Espanyol have ever dropped below Spain’s second tier. Over the next few weeks, both teams will be fighting to get back into La Liga and they’ll meet on Sunday in the first leg of the La Liga 2 Promotion Play-off Semifinal. Espanyol head into the Play-off on an impressive 16-game unbeaten streak as they finished in fourth place in the league. Meanwhile, Sporting Gijón won three of their last four games to sneak into the playoffs in fifth. For an exciting first-leg matchup in Gijon, we’ll preview Sunday’s Sporting de Gijón vs Espanyol odds.
Sporting Gijón vs Espanyol
Records: Sporting Gijon (18-11-13), Espanyol (17-8-7)
Date & Time: Sunday, June 9, 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio El Molinón, Gijón, Spain
Stream: ESPN+
Sporting de Gijón vs Espanyol Head-to-Head
In two matches vs. Sporting Gijón this season, Espanyol failed to score a goal. Juan Otero and Victor Campuzano scored as Sporting Gijón defeated Espanyol 2-0 last October. Last month, these teams played to a scoreless draw in Barcelona. The pregame Sporting de Gijón vs Espanyol odds listed a draw at +240.
The only other meetings between these sides in the last five years were on the 2020-21 La Liga 2 schedule. Espanyol won 2-0 and drew 1-1 during that campaign. Over the last ten years, Espanyol lead the series 3-2, with three draws.
Rollercoaster Ride for Sporting Gijon
Heading into the final Matchday of the La Liga 2 season, Sporting de Gijón sat in seventh place, just outside of a play-off spot. The La Liga 2 scores went their way on the final day, as Sporting Gijón defeated Eldense 1-0 and the two teams ahead of them lost. So, Sporting Gijón finished in fifth place, their best in La Liga 2 since 2017-18.
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride of a campaign for Sporting Gijón. They won eight of their first 14 matches but managed just 10 wins in their last 28. In their last 11 matches, they’re 5-1-5 but they did manage to win three of their last four. Former Espanyol player Victor Campuzano just returned from a muscle injury, which could boost the squad.
He’s been Espanyol’s most productive goalscorer this season, with 0.62 goals per 90 minutes. Juan Ferney Otero and Gaspar Campos have both reached the 10-goal threshold this season for Sporting Gijón as well. Meanwhile, midfielder Nacho Mendez is listed as doubtful for this match and if he can’t suit up it’d be a big loss for Gijón. Mendez made 34 starts this season and scored five goals.
History on Espanyol’s Side
Since La Liga was founded in 1929, Espanyol have never spent back-to-back seasons in the second tier. Before this season, Espanyol had played in the Segunda Division five times and went straight back up to La Liga each time. So, history is on Espanyol’s side as they look to go straight back to the first tier.
Martin Braithwaite was easily one of the best La Liga 2 players this season. The Danish forward, who was snubbed for Euro 2024, and former Barcelona man, scored 22 goals this season. Braithwaite is the league’s top scorer and scored four times in Espanyol’s last seven games. Javi Puado also scored 13 goals for Espanyol this season as he, Braithwaite, and Pere Milla are key attacking players.
Espanyol, seeking promotion at the first time of asking, fired coach Luis Miguel Ramis in March and replaced him with Manolo Gonzalez. Gonzalez is Espanyol’s third manager of the season and RCDE are an unbeaten 4-8-0 with him at the helm. They’ve conceded just six times during Gonzalez’s tenure and have allowed just one goal in their last five games.
Sporting de Gijón vs Espanyol Match Analysis & Odds
Without a prolific goalscorer, Sporting Gijón may need Victor Campuzano to haunt his former club. Since returning from a muscle injury, he’s been limited to two appearances and 20 minutes but has already scored once during his brief cameos. Here, the Sporting de Gijón vs Espanyol odds price hosts Gijón as +130 favorites.
This is certainly a match that could go either way, though, as Espanyol come in at +200 moneyline odds. Those are the same odds as a draw and as Espanyol have drawn 10 of their last 14 games, another one certainly isn’t off the table.
In fact, Espanyol are 1-6-0 in their last seven away games and would be happy with the scores level heading into the second leg. Bettors can find Sporting Gijón pk, -0.5 at +105, while Espanyol pk, +0.5 stands at -125, which certainly isn’t a terrible bet. We’d also consider betting against Both Teams to Score, at -125 odds and under 2.0, 2.5 goals are priced at -130 for Sunday’s Play-off Semifinal first leg.
