- Team form: Real Zaragoza have won only four of their 19 home games in LaLiga 2 this season
- Away form: Sporting Gijon have won five of their 19 away games in the Spanish second tier
- Scoring: Real Zaragoza have scored just 17 goals in 19 home games in 2025-26
Navarro’s pragmatic approach to get Zaragoza back on track
David Navarro took over at Real Zaragoza in March 2026 with a simple but unglamorous mission statement - to be pragmatic and solid in defense while the club dig themselves out of trouble.
And while Zaragoza’s 21st-place position in LaLiga 2 - with only 35 points from 39 games - shows just how much trouble the club are in, they have been relatively solid since Navarro took over. Their last five games have yielded no wins, one draw and four defeats. Their last three results saw them score only one goal and concede five.
Their last three games have seen them lose to SD Huesca, Granada and Real Valladolid, but their performances in those games haven’t been far off the pace. They have failed to win their last two at home, however, with little sign of the recovery that Navarro is trying to engineer.
Daniel Gomez has bagged nine times in 30 games in 2025-26 to be the home side’s leading scorer by some distance, but they are not creating enough chances through the middle and often rely on the long ball up to him.
Jimenez’s Sporting looking to lock down a narrow victory
Standings and expectations
Sporting Gijon will be a much sterner test for Zaragoza on Sunday and the 13th-placed team, who have 52 points from the same 39 games, are more than likely to pick up another three points.
Recent form
Borja Jimenez’s side have had their problems this year, having lost their last three matches with defeats coming at Cordoba and Malaga, both away from home, and at home to AD Ceuta FC in between.
Tactics
Jimenez’s football philosophy remains the same as when he took over in October 2025 - to play with an intense pressing style, move the ball quickly and overload wide areas. Sporting will seek to dominate the game against Zaragoza and expose the defensive gaps in the centre-backs when they commit men forward.
Key player
Jonathan Dubasin has been the key to Sporting’s success with 16 goals in 35 games this term, but he has scored three times in their last five as his side have gone off the boil. But he will be a constant threat on Sunday, particularly when Sporting are able to play on the counter-attack and in transition.
- Sporting Gijon will be a much sterner test for Zaragoza on Sunday and the 13th-placed team, who have 52 points from the same 39 games, are more than likely to pick up another three points.
- Borja Jimenez’s side have had their problems this year, having lost their last three matches with defeats coming at Cordoba and Malaga, both away from home, and at home to AD Ceuta FC in between.
- Jonathan Dubasin has been the key to Sporting’s success with 16 goals in 35 games this term, but he has scored three times in their last five as his side have gone off the boil.
Sporting should win, but game will be close
Despite Sporting’s poor recent record, we’re taking them to come away with a win here at 4.12 as Zaragoza’s form is no good and, despite his side’s poor record, Jimenez has been an astute appointment.
Sporting have won two and drawn one of the last three LaLiga 2 head-to-head clashes between these clubs, although they are winless in their last two visits to Zaragoza. But the home team have not registered a win in their last three LaLiga 2 head-to-head encounters.
A Sporting win is on the cards, but don’t expect much in the way of goals with 2.04 on under 2.5 goals also advised and 2.05 for both teams not to score a goal. Sporting’s high-intensity pressing will test Zaragoza’s defensive discipline and, while Zaragoza’s compact 4-4-2 should frustrate Sporting’s attacking play, goals will be scarce.
