diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index b7aca95c9737868822287e0b5c63094bc0dd27df..147cae0e796ff508182902bbb7e6f00717a100bd 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ test:gcc8-seq-dbg:
   script:
     - cd build/gcc8-dbg
     - make run_unit_tests
-    - make coverage
   cache:
     key: "${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}-gcc8-dbg"
     paths:
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d10115dc440e1e60b79ffe645f2d86e7eeecee39..940592e7ae7de9ed935cf9135f9522521d64bd02 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -219,6 +219,13 @@ add_subdirectory("${CATCH_MODULE_PATH}")
 add_subdirectory(tests)
 enable_testing()
 
+add_custom_target(run_unit_tests
+  ALL
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND} -j ${PROCESSOR_COUNT}
+  DEPENDS unit_tests mpi_unit_tests
+  COMMENT "Executing unit tests."
+  )
+
 # unit tests coverage
 
 if("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "Coverage")
@@ -244,17 +251,10 @@ if("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "Coverage")
 
   set(GCOVR_OPTIONS --object-directory="${PUGS_BINARY_DIR}" -r "${PUGS_SOURCE_DIR}/src" ${GCOVR_EXCLUDE} ${GCOVR_EXTRA})
 
-  add_custom_target(run_unit_tests
-    ALL
-    COMMAND ${CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND} -j ${PROCESSOR_COUNT}
-    DEPENDS unit_tests mpi_unit_tests pugs
-    COMMENT "Executing unit tests."
-    )
-
   add_custom_target(coverage
     ALL
     COMMAND ${GCOVR} ${GCOVR_OPTIONS} --exclude-unreachable-branches --sort-percentage
-    DEPENDS run_unit_tests
+    DEPENDS run_unit_tests pugs
     COMMENT "Running gcovr to build coverage report."
     )