Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Match Preview
A classic “Cup Upset” opportunity looms at El Molinón on Tuesday, 16 December 2025. Sporting Gijón, sitting comfortably in the top half of La Liga 2 and fresh off a win against Granada, welcome a Valencia side in crisis. Los Che are languishing near the relegation zone in La Liga and come into this match off a disheartening 2–1 loss to Atlético Madrid. For Sporting, this is a free hit to embarrass a historic giant; for Valencia, it is a must-win game to relieve the mounting pressure on manager Carlos Corberán.
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Match Info
- Competition: Copa del Rey (Round of 32)
- Venue: Estadio El Molinón, Gijón (Capacity: 29,029)
- Date: Tuesday, 16 December 2025
- Kickoff: 21:00 CET | 20:00 GMT | 01:30 IST (Wednesday)
- Referee: TBC (RFEF Appointment)
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Match Stakes
Sporting Gijón (La Liga 2):
- Win → Reaches Round of 16; massive morale boost and financial reward
- Loss → Exit with heads held high; focus returns to promotion playoff push
Valencia (La Liga):
- Win → Avoids humiliation; builds confidence ahead of crucial league fixtures
- Loss → A disaster; potential tipping point for the manager’s future
- Impact → A loss here would turn the fanbase toxic given their league struggles
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Team News
Sporting Gijón:
- Olaetxea L. — Out (Suspended – Yellow Card Accumulation)
- Otero J. — Out (Hamstring Injury – Long term)
- Curbelo E. — Questionable (Hamstring – Doubtful)
- Dubasin J. — Available (Key attacker)
Valencia:
- Correia T. — Out (ACL Injury – Out for season)
- Guerra J. — Out (Muscle Injury)
- Diakhaby M. — Out (Hamstring Injury)
- Tarrega C. — Questionable (Muscle discomfort)
- Dimitrievski S. — Questionable (Muscle injury)
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)
Sporting Gijón
- 13/12 — 1–0 vs Granada CF (La Liga 2)
- 06/12 — 1–0 vs Real Sociedad B (La Liga 2)
- 04/12 — 2–0 vs Mirandés (Copa del Rey)
- 29/11 — 1–1 vs Andorra (La Liga 2)
- 23/11 — 0–2 vs Huesca (La Liga 2)
Valencia
- 13/12 — 1–2 vs Atl. Madrid (La Liga)
- 07/12 — 1–1 vs Sevilla (La Liga)
- 05/12 — 2–1 vs FC Cartagena (Copa del Rey)
- 02/12 — 1–1 vs Rayo Vallecano (La Liga)
- 22/11 — 1–0 vs Levante (La Liga)
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)
- 18/01/2023 — Sporting Gijón 0–4 Valencia (Copa del Rey)
- 16/01/2019 — Valencia 3–0 Sporting Gijón (Copa del Rey)
- 09/01/2019 — Sporting Gijón 2–1 Valencia (Copa del Rey)
- 11/03/2017 — Valencia 1–1 Sporting Gijón (La Liga)
- 16/10/2016 — Sporting Gijón 1–2 Valencia (La Liga)
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)
Sporting Gijón (4-4-2)
Yanez; Rosas, Rober Pier, Diego Sanchez, Cote; Gelabert, Mendez, Bernal, Gaspar; Dubasin, Caicedo
Valencia (4-2-3-1)
Mamardashvili (or Domenech); Foulquier, Mosquera, Gasiorowski, Vazquez; Pepelu, Barrenechea; Rioja, Almeida, Canos; Hugo Duro
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Impact Bench
Sporting Gijón: Queipo (Pace on wing), Campuzano (Poacher)
Valencia: Mir (Physical presence), Gaya (Captain’s influence if needed)
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Tactical Analysis
Sporting Gijón
At home, Sporting will look to make this a physical battle. Knowing Valencia’s confidence is brittle, they will press high in the opening 15 minutes. Their wide players, Gaspar and Gelabert, will target Valencia’s rotated full-backs. Set-pieces will be a major weapon for the hosts against a Valencia side that has struggled to defend crosses recently.
Valencia
Valencia have quality but lack cohesion. They will try to control possession through Pepelu and Almeida, but their ball progression is often slow. They rely heavily on Hugo Duro’s movement to create space. Expect them to play cautiously, knowing that conceding first at a raucous El Molinón could lead to a collapse.
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Key Battles
- Cote vs Rioja — veteran experience vs pace on the wing
- Mendez vs Pepelu — battle for midfield control
- Rober Pier vs Hugo Duro — stopping Valencia’s only reliable scorer
- Yanez vs The Atmosphere — Goalkeeper needs to command his box
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Spotlight Players
Sporting Gijón — Jonathan Dubasin
The “Penguin” is a fan favorite and arguably Sporting’s most dangerous player. His ability to drift between the lines and finish could be the difference-maker.
Valencia — Andre Almeida
With Javi Guerra out, Almeida must step up as the creative hub. Valencia need him to unlock a disciplined Sporting defense; if he goes missing, Valencia will struggle to create chances.
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Prediction
Sporting Gijón 1–2 Valencia (AET)
This smells like a struggle for the visitors. Sporting are solid at home and will push Valencia all the way. However, Valencia’s superior individual quality (like Hugo Duro or Rioja) should just be enough to scrape a win, possibly in extra time, to avoid a full-blown crisis.
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Betting Insights
- Both Teams to Score — YES
- Under 2.5 Goals (Regular Time) — Likely
- Sporting Gijón +0.5 Handicap — Value Bet
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — Where to Watch
- Spain: Movistar+, RTVE (Teledeporte)
- USA: ESPN+
- International: RFEF TV (Select regions)
Sporting Gijón vs Valencia — FAQs
Q: When is the Sporting Gijón vs Valencia match?
A: The match kicks off on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, at 21:00 CET.
Q: Is this a single-leg tie?
A: Yes. In the Copa del Rey Round of 32, matches are single-leg ties played at the home of the lower-division team.
Q: Is Javi Guerra playing for Valencia?
A: No. Javi Guerra is ruled out with a muscle injury.
Q: Who won the last time they met?
A: Valencia won 4–0 at El Molinón in the Copa del Rey in January 2023.
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