On Saturday, April 23, Barcelona hosts Sporting Gijon in a Spanish Primera Division week 35 fixture. The game will be played at the Camp Nou stadium in the city of Barcelona and will kick off at 19:30 BST.
The hosts are currently top of the league table with 79 points from 34 games, while the visitors are in 18th place, with 32 points from 34 games.
A win for the league leaders will see them retain their position on the league table, while a defeat can see them finish the weekend in 3rd place. A win for the underdogs can see them rise to 15th place, while a defeat can see them drop to 19th position.
Barcelona looking to rediscover formBarcelona stomped to an 8-0 win in their last league game to arrest their poor run of form that saw them lose three games in a row. That poor run of form has seen their lead at the top of the table reduced to just goal difference, and the Catalans now have no margin for error.
The title favourites, managed by Luis Enrique are in poor form, with two wins, and three defeats in their last five games in all competitions. These wins were against Athletico Madrid in the UCL (2-1 on April 5), and Deportivo la Coruna (0-8 on April 20).
The treble winners however suffered three consecutive defeats, including games against Real Soceidad (1-0 on April 9), Valencia (1-2 on April 17), and in the Champions League against Athletico Madrid (2-0 on April 13).
Sporting Gijon hoping to avoid relegationSporting Gijon are currently in the relegation zone, and 1 point adrift of safety with 4 games to go. They will be looking to get one or two wins as quickly as possible to secure their top flight status for next season.
The Rojiblancos, managed by Aberlardo, are in good form, with two wins, two draws and one defeat in their last five games. These wins were against Athletico Madrid (2-1 on March 19), and Sevilla (2-1 on April 20).
The relegation candidates, drew two of their recent games against Levante (0-0 on April 4), and Las Palmas (1-1 on April 16). Their only recent defeat came against Celta de Vigo (0-1 on April 10).
Luis Suarez was in devastating form for Barcelona last time out with 4 goals and 3 assists in their last outing. He will be looking for a similar return against a struggling side to aid his bid for the European golden boot. Sporting Gijon will be up against it in this game, and will need their goalkeeper Pichu Cuellar to be on top form if they are to get anything from this game.
Barcelona will be motivated by the fact that they are only ahead of Athletico Madrid on goal difference, so this should be a really tough test for Sporting Gijon. The underdogs will likely be deer in the headlights in this one and I see the Catalans winning by a very comfortable score line.
