Sporting Gijon vs Barcelona. Spanish La Liga.
El MolinonAttendance28,140.
Wednesday 17 February 2016 19:10, UK
Barcelona take on Sporting Gijon live on Sky Sports on Wednesday evening, knowing a win will take them six points clear at the top of La Liga.
The match (kick-off 5.30pm GMT) represents the Catalan side's game in hand on title rivals Atletico and Real Madrid and they will hope to extend their excellent run of form that has seen them win 12 and draw two of their 14 games since returning to action after the winter break.
Meanwhile, Gijon are unbeaten in their last three, including a 1-0 win away at Valencia, but still find themselves in the midst of a relegation battle, just two points above the drop zone.
They drew their most recent game 2-2 with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday having led twice while Barca were in scintillating form as they thrashed Celta Vigo 6-1 on Sunday.
Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick in the match but it is the nature of his third goal that made the headlines as he slotted in after Lionel Messi had passed a penalty to him.
The goal has divided opinion, with some labelling it genius and others believing it was disrespectful to their opponents. However, Barcelona boss Luis Enrique defended his players.
"There will be those who like it and those who don't," he told reporters. "As well as winning titles, here we try to entertain people and win in a spectacular and sporting manner.
"You can take a penalty like that, it's legal and there's a Cruyff penalty we all know."
Wednesday's game may take on added significance for Enrique, it will be his first as a manager against Gijon, the club with whom he started his playing career.
Watch Sporting Gijon v Barcelona live on Sky Sports 2 HD from 5.25pm on Wednesday. Or watch for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV
