Sporting Gijón Coach Borja Jiménez Refuses to Give Up on Play-off Hopes

Borja Jiménez insists Sporting must fight until the end despite slim playoff chances Friday, April 17, 2026 By Daniel Richardson, Editor-in-Chief Sporting de Gijón manager Borja Jiménez urged his team to retain fighting for a playoff spot despite acknowledging the difficulty of the task with seven matches remaining in the Segunda División season. Speaking to reporters at the Mareo training facility on Friday morning, Jiménez emphasized that although the mathematical chances of reaching the promotion playoffs are slim, his squad must continue to compete with determination. “It’s clear that we are far from the playoff positions, but we still have hope given that there is still life to achieve it, knowing the difficulty,” Jiménez said. “Talking about it doesn’t make sense being so far away, but we face (the next match) as a final, with the obligation to win it to be able to continue with life and cut points in a matchday with many direct confrontations like the previous one. Even losing did not increase the distances much. While there is life there is hope, knowing that We see remarkably far away. Our obligation is to fight it until the last moment and try to win the seven games that remain.” Jiménez acknowledged that the team’s recent loss to Burgos had made the playoff push “much more complicated,” with sixth place potentially being eleven points behind. However, he stressed that the immediate focus must be on securing a victory against Cádiz in the upcoming fixture, stating that “the only opportunity we have now each weekend is to win.” The Sporting manager, who has been in charge of the Asturian club since 2025, referenced his personal history of achieving objectives throughout his coaching career when discussing the team’s situation. “Hopefully it were two months, but we have 40 days left. It is true that personally I have always achieved the objectives or been very close to doing so. When I arrived here, the evolution we have had and then we have drifted away…” he said, before his comments were cut off in the available reports. Jiménez’s stance reflects his consistent approach throughout the season, where he has balanced realism about the team’s position with a refusal to concede defeat prematurely. His comments come at a critical juncture in the Segunda División campaign, where teams are jockeying for position in the tight race for the playoff spots that determine promotion to La Liga. The Asturian side will look to build on Jiménez’s message of resilience when they face Cádiz at home in their next league match, which represents one of the seven remaining opportunities to salvage their season and keep alive the distant hope of a playoff push. For continued updates on Sporting de Gijón’s push for promotion and Borja Jiménez’s leadership, stay tuned to Archysport.com.