After returning to Spain’s top flight in more than a decade last year, El Molinon is preparing to host Real Madrid. Sporting Gijon, who are currently seventh in the table welcome a Real Madrid squad anxious to win its seventh league match of the season. Without the services of Benzema, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy and Lass Diarra, Manuel Pellegrini called up 19 men for Saturday’s showdown including Real Madrid Castilla’s Javier Acuña.

Depending on Sunday’s weekend closer between Barcelona and Zaragoza, Real Madrid will end the evening with a hold on the top spot of the table should they win. In order to get by Sporting Gijon, Manuel Pellegrini is relying on the services of Guti and Metzelder, both of whom made their first squad list in several weeks. Because Benzema is out with a deep bruise and Higuain is unavailable due to a strain, the Chilean coach has also requested the assistance of Real Madrid Castilla’s Javier Acuña.

REAL MADRID & SPORTING THIS SEASON
	POSITION	W	D	L	G.F.	G.A.
REAL MADRID	2nd	6	0	1	21	6
SPORTING	7th	3	2	2	7	12

Sporting Gijon, who are seventh in the table with 11 points, have a two-match winning streak going and have proven to be a force to be reckoned with at home, where the have yet to lose this season.  The two sides have met on 76 occasions, of which Real Madrid have won 42 and the Rojiblancos 12. Twenty-two times have the teams played to a draw. On Sporting turg, the Whites have won 16 matches, drawn 12 and lost 10. Their last confrontation at El Molinon took place on 12 February and ended in a 0-4 victory for the Whites thanks to goals by Raul (2), Huntelaar and Marcelo.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
	MATCHES	W	D	L	GOALS
REAL MADRID	76	42	22	12	141
SPORTING	76	12	22	42	66

LAST FOUR MEETINGS IN EL MOLINON
SEASON/MATCHDAY	STANDING	TEAM	STANDING	TEAM	SCORE
95-96 / 14	8th	Sporting	5th	R. Madrid	0-0
96-97 / 15	16th	Sporting	1st	R. Madrid	0-1
97-98 / 06	19th	Sporting	4th	R. Madrid	0-2
08-09 / 23	12th	Sporting	2nd	R. Madrid	0-4

WEEK 8 OF LA LIGA

MATCH	DAY & TIME	REFEREE
Atletico Madrid - Mallorca	Sat. 24, 18:00	Muñiz Fernandez
Sporting Gijon - Real Madrid	Sat. 24, 20:00	Teixeira Vitienes
Sevilla - Espanyol	Sat. 24, 22:00	Turienzo Alvarez
Villarreal - Malaga	Sun. 25, 17:00	Velasco Carballo
Tenerife - Xerez	Sun. 25, 17:00	Clos Gomez
Valladolid - Deportivo	Sun. 25, 17:00	Delgado Ferreiro
Getafe - Athletic	Sun. 25, 17:00	Undiano Mallenco
Racing - Osasuna	Sun. 25, 17:00	Iturralde Gonzalez
Almeria - Valencia	Sun. 25, 19:00	Gonzalez Gonzalez
Barcelona - Zaragoza	Sun. 25, 21:00	Paradas Romero