Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic. (Photo : Getty Images)
Reeling team Sporting de Gijon (2-2-1, 7 points) is scheduled to clash with the undermanned defending champions FC Barcelona (3-1-1, 10 points) at the Estadio El Molinón on Saturday, Sep. 24 as round 6 of the 2016-2017 La Liga season gets underway.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 10:15 a.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Sporting Gijon is on a two-game losing skid after being unbeaten in their first three games in the Spanish top flight this season. It resulted in the team dropping to the 10th place in the overall standings, tied on points with eighth and ninth placers Real Sociedad and Eibar but has a lesser goal difference.
Head coach Abelardo Fernández's squad lost a sorry 1-2 game to fellow struggling team Celta Vigo at the Estadio Municipal de Balaídos on Wednesday, as per SkySports.
After a goalless first half, Os Célticos captain Hugo Mallo broke the deadlock at the 66th minute with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box from an assist by midfielder Pione Sisto.
Sporting managed to find the equalizer at the 80th, though, courtesy of a penalty kick from Croatian striker Duje Cop following a foul by Argentine defender Facundo Roncaglia.
Eventually, Celta netted the winning goal with their own spot kick from forward Iago Aspas at the 87th to come away with the three points and the win.
Meanwhile, Barcelona settled to a 1-1 draw with fellow powerhouse team Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp also on Wednesday, Daily Mail Online reported.
Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic scored the opening goal at the 41st with a brilliant header following a stunning deep aerial cross from team captain Andres Iniesta.
Atleti managed to force the draw with a nice right-footed shot from Argentine forward Angel Correa at the 61st.
However, the tie came with a cost for Barça as Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi were brought out at the 51st and 59th with separate injuries.
The Catalonia giants are still the overwhelming favorites to win this match despite the absence of their two key stars.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 2-0 win for Barcelona.
Sporting Gijon starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Cuellar; Lora, Babin, Amorebieta, Lillo; Rodriguez, Torres, Picon, Afif; Viguera, Cop
Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Iniesta, D. Suárez; Turan, L. Suárez, Neymar
