Laura and Esteban on the Asturias derby between Sporting and Oviedo: “It’s amazing, a special match”

Sporting Gijon and Oviedo will meet this Saturday in the second division. This is one of the derbies with the richest history and passion in Spanish football and this season comes at a special time for both teams.

And they both start with the same situation in the table. Sporting are seventh with 39 points and Oviedo are eighth with 38 points. Thus, a tense and atmospheric derby is expected. That’s why we spoke to two former players from both teams – Alberto Laura and Esteban.

“This will be the first time I will be able to see a derby in a stadium as a fan,” says Laura, who admits he is “nervous”, as is Esteban: “We are really enjoying each other and can show off what we have great derby.”

They both remember their first derby. If for Laura in one of the last matches for Sporting it was a draw, then Esteban was present in many derbies. “It was amazing, the people here live this incredible way,” admits Laura, while Esteban says his first game against Sporting changed his career “for the better.”

Now they will have to live it from the stands, where they suffer “more.” “You suffer a lot because you know that it doesn’t depend on you,” says Laura, to which Esteban adds that a fan is better understood from the stands: “You forget that you were a player. On the field you have no opportunity to change the result.”

Both predict Saturday’s clash will be decided by “details”, with Esteban hoping Oviedo doesn’t go into the match too “confident” and Laura betting Sporting will continue to play for a good result.