Villarreal with next landslide win in Copa del Rey?
Villarreal CF could not have started the cup competition any better. The yellow submarine celebrated two resounding victories in the first two rounds of this year’s Copa del Rey, in which last year’s Europa League champions scored 15 goals – both away from home, mind you. For the third time in a row, Villarreal have an away game in the Spanish Cup.
This time, head coach Unai Emery’s team is at home to second division side Gijon and is aiming for another away win. As expected, the in-form club from the Spanish top flight is favoured, with Gijon vs. Villarreal offering odds of 2.10.
for tip 2.
In its current form, the yellow submarine should not struggle too much at the second division club. Emery’s team has won six games in a row in the competition and is on a high. That this winning streak will now come to an end at Sporting Gijon, of all teams, tends to be ruled out.
The last time the two clubs met in a competitive match, Villarreal won comfortably 3-1 in the Spanish top flight. A similar result – at least in terms of the amount – is also close this time, especially since Villarreal CF’s offensive engine has already warmed up at the start of the week.
Gijon – Statistics & current form
The 2016/17 season was the last time Sporting de Gijón were represented in the Spanish top flight. Since then, the club from Asturias has been playing in the second division and has largely stayed out of the promotion race. This season is no exception, with Gijón in twelfth place in La Liga 2 at the start of the second half of the season. That position in the standings is thanks to the recent series.
After all, Sporting de Gijón remained unbeaten three times in a row. Nevertheless, the gap to the starting positions for the promotion play-offs is still six points, while the lead over the relegation places is eight points. At the start of the second half of the season, Gijón suffered a major setback against potential relegation candidates Lugo.
Despite home advantage and a second-half surge, head coach David Gallego’s side only picked up one point and thus missed out on important points in the race for promotion. It would therefore be all the more surprising if, after their recent performance, a prediction on the “Rojiblancos” from Asturias pays off in Gijon vs. Villarreal of all places.
No round of 16 again for Sporting de Gijón?
In any case, Gijón have only reached the last 16 of the Spanish cup competition once since 2009, when the “Rojiblancos” last appeared in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. In the last two years, the second division team had to bow out in the round of the last 32 at the latest. It is quite possible that the negative trend will continue this time.
Gallego’s team also narrowly missed out on a cup defeat in the last round. Against league rivals Alcorcon, currently bottom of La Liga 2, Sporting de Gijón only booked their ticket to the round of 16 in extra time.
If you also consider how weak the second division team has been in their own stadium lately, there are hardly any arguments that would support bets on an underdog coup. In the regular season, the “Rojiblancos” have failed to win at home seven times in a row.
In the cup match, head coach Gallego will also have to do without three of the four centre-backs in the squad due to injury. So it’s not exactly the best conditions for the home match against Villarreal CF.
Predicted line-up of Gijon:
Marino – Rosas, Gragera, Lopez, Garcia – Mendez, Diaz, Villalba – Garcia, Campos, Djurdjevic
Last matches played by Gijon:
LaLiga2
01/02 2022 – Sporting Gijon 1 – 1 Lugo
12/18 2021 UD – Ibiza 0 – 2 Sporting Gijon
Copa del Rey
12/15 2021 – Sporting Gijon 2 – 1 Alcorcon
LaLiga2
12/10 2021 – Sporting Gijon 1 – 1 SD Huesca
12/05 2021 – Las Palmas 1 – 0 Sporting Gijon
Villarreal – Statistics & current form
In contrast to the hosts from Asturias, the visitors from Villarreal are currently in captivating form and can hardly complain about the course of the season. Internationally, the yellow submarine is in the last 16 of the Champions League. Nationally, on the other hand, Villarreal CF compensated for their false start in the Spanish top flight at the end of the first half of the season.
The results in the Copa del Rey were also commendable. Although head coach Unai Emery rested numerous key players in the last two cup rounds, Villarreal CF clearly prevailed against lower-class opponents such as Victoria CF (8:0) and Sanluqueno (7:1). The yellow submarine scored a total of 15 goals.
Three of the 15 goals were scored by ex-BVB striker Paco Alcácer. This time, however, the 28-year-old goal-scorer of the first division club will not be available due to injury. Players like Ruben Pena and Francis Coquelin will also have to take a break. No other absentees are known for the visitors from the small Spanish town.
Is Emery firing up the rotation machine?
Because Villarreal played their last match in the Spanish top flight at the start of the week, it cannot be ruled out that head coach Emery will rest some key players for the cup match in Gijón. After all, the top match against last year’s champions from Madrid is on the agenda on Sunday, where the yellow submarine has the chance to minimise the gap to the starting places for the top flight if it is successful.
However, Villarreal CF have a promising line-up across the board, so even with a potential second string, a place in the last 16 for Emery’s eleven is obvious. Especially since the yellow submarine won the last two competitive matches – both in the 2016/17 season – against Sporting de Gijón. If Gijon vs. Villarreal win again, odds of 2.10 are paid out for tip 2.
This is supported by the recent goal haul of last year’s Europa League champions. After all, Villarreal CF have scored a total of 20 goals in their last four competitive matches – an average of four goals per win. It would therefore not be surprising if the next offensive spectacle follows at Sporting de Gijón.
Predicted Villarreal line-up:
Rulli – Gaspar, Albiol, Torres, Moreno – Pino, Capoue, Trigueros, Gomez – Raba, Moreno
Last matches played by Villarreal:
LaLiga
01/03 2022 – Villarreal FC 5 – 0 Levante
12/21 2021 – Villarreal FC 5 – 2 Deportivo Alaves
12/18 2021 – San Sebastian 1 – 3 Villarreal FC
Copa del Rey
12/15 2021 – Atletico Sanluqueno CF 1 – 7 Villarreal FC
LaLiga
12/12 2021 – Villarreal FC 2 – 0 Rayo Vallecano
Gijon – Villarreal Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
This is the 19th time the two clubs have met. Villarreal CF have won twelve of their 18 competitive matches so far. Only four times did Sporting Gijón prevail against the yellow submarine. Two games, on the other hand, ended in a draw. The last time the two clubs met in La Liga was almost five years ago.
Villarreal won 3:1 against Sporting Gijón. Before that, the yellow submarine had already won the first-round match with the same result. Now, for the first time since September 2008, Villarreal are aiming to make it four consecutive league wins against Sporting Gijón.
Gijon – Villarreal Tip
Although Sporting Gijón have gone unbeaten four times in a row recently, the recent form curve of the “Rojiblancos” has little meaning with regard to the cup match against Villarreal CF. After all, Gijón have played three of their last four games against potential relegation candidates from La Liga 2.
The visitors from Villarreal, on the other hand, have recently celebrated six wins in a row and have flexed their offensive muscles. In the last four competitive matches, the yellow submarine has scored an average of four goals. Because last but not least the home match against Levante was won with 5-0 last Monday, we do not rule out the next offensive spectacle from Villarreal CF in the cup match.
Gijón already delivered a poor performance in their recent home game against Lugo, picking up just one point against their depleted league rivals. This was also the seventh time in a row that Gijón remained winless in their own stadium. It would therefore be more than surprising if the negative streak were to end in a cup match against the in-form visitors from Villarreal.
We expect a clear away victory for the first division team, who will win their seventh competitive match in a row.
