…As Sporting faces troubled Deportivo on Sunday
It is not business as usual for Nigerian defender, Elderson Echiejile, as he faces relegation fight against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday in the La Liga.
The Super Eagles’ star is a new player in the Sporting Gijon Football Club line up, and he may like to exhibit his potentials in the must-win match for his club to move a bit out of the relegation waters.
Echiejile may likely play against a team which has just signed a new coach, Pepe Mel. The strategist has been mandated to lead Deportivo La Coruna against Sporting on Sunday.
Sporting and Deportivo are sharing 17 and 18 positions in the 20-team La Liga. Both sides need to survive the storm to remain in the series.
The Galician side sacked Gaizka Garitano in the wake of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to fellow La Liga strugglers Leganes. “Pepe Mel has become the new coach of Deportivo until the end of the season, with the option to extend,” a club statement confirmed.
Deportivo are only two points above the relegation zone – having played one game less than the bottom three – after a run of four league defeats in a row. Their last victory came on December 21, when they beat Real Betis – who sacked Mel in January 2016 – in a Copa del Rey clash at the Riazor. Mel’s first match in charge will be against Atletico Madrid on Thursday, before they travel to third-bottom Sporting Gijon on Sunday.
