Spanish La Liga - RCD Espanyol VS Villarreal Prediction
Spanish La Liga - RCD Espanyol VS Villarreal
Match Time: 27-09-2024 01:00 Friday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Espanyol
Before the international break, Manolo Gonzalez's team clinched their first victory of the new season by overcoming Rayo Vallecano 2-1, thanks to a last-minute winner from Alejo Veliz. This match was part of Matchday 4. Prior to this, the Catalans had suffered defeats to Valladolid and Real Sociedad, and surprisingly managed a goalless draw in Madrid against Atletico.
Following a two-week hiatus, the Periquitos delighted their home fans at the RCDE Stadium by triumphing over Alaves 3-2, with Javi Puado netting a hat-trick. These two victories have propelled the Papas into the middle of La Liga's standings, but the situation may change rapidly due to a challenging schedule ahead. Last weekend, Espanyol flew back to Madrid, but this time their trip ended in disappointment as they were thoroughly beaten by Real, despite initially taking the lead in the match, they conceded four goals in response. The upcoming fixtures include two more challenging matches – the next one against Villarreal and a trip to face Betis.
Villarreal
The side managed by Marcelino Garcia Toral made a positive impression at the start of the season, achieving generally good results and showing great character while scoring plenty of goals. In the first five rounds, the Yellow Submarine secured three victories, with all winning goals being scored in the dying moments of stoppage time. In their away matches against Sevilla and Mallorca (both won 2-1), the newcomers Ayose Perez stepped up to score the winning goals, while in their home game against Celta (4-3), captain Dani Parejo, after missing a penalty, was quick to react and score the final goal.
Two additional matches ended in draws. In the opening round, Villarreal played a 2-2 draw at home against Atletico, managing to hold a slight advantage and leading twice. Before the international break, Marcelino's team was fortunate not to lose the Valencia derby at Mestalla, ending in a 1-1 draw with a surprise goal from Ayose Perez and several remarkable saves by Diego Conde. However, last weekend, the Yellow Submarine suffered their first defeat of the season, unexpectedly losing 5-1 at home to Barcelona. While losing to the league leader is not unusual, the scoreline was shocking given that the Blaugranas were not fielding their first-choice lineup, and they even lost Marc-André ter Stegen to a horrific injury before half-time.
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Tejera, Aguado, Kral, Jofre; Veliz, Puado
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Conde; Femenia, Costa, Albiol, Cardona; Akhomach, Parejo, Comesana, Baena; Perez, Barry
Espanyol vs Villarreal Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
*Villarreal have a good recent record against Espanyol and have won 17 out of the last 44 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Espanyol's eight victories.
*Espanyol have won only one of their last seven matches against Villarreal in La Liga and have lost each of their last three such games in the competition.
*Villarreal have played out 12 draws in their 22 matches away from home against Espanyol in La Liga - more away draws than they have managed against any other opponent in the top flight.
*Espanyol have won only seven of their matches against Villarreal in La Liga history - their lowest win percentage against any opponent in the history of the competition.
*Espanyol have lost each of their last seven matches played out on a Thursday in La Liga.
Prediction: Espanyol 1-2 Villarreal
Villarreal may possess some defensive vulnerabilities, but they also possess a real threat in the final third, and we think that their firepower could help them bounce back from Sunday's defeat by claiming a narrow win over Espanyol on Thursday.
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