Villarreal have an opportunity to climb out of a crowded mid-table pack if they can take advantage of Espanyol’s turmoil and midweek change of management.
Match News and Current Form
Villarreal boss Iñigo Pérez was careful not to get ahead of himself after his side earned a much-needed 2-1 win away to early relegation contenders Valencia, which saw them spend the week in the middle of a logjam that sees just two points separate seventh from 15th. Their joint-second worst start to a season in eight years still leaves a lot to be desired, particularly for home supporters who have celebrated just one La Liga victory from four games this season (D1, L2). Last weekend’s win suggests they should be comfortable with this assignment, with all three of their victories in this competition coming against clubs currently with fewer points.
The Espanyol administration finally ran out of patience with head coach Manolo González after a disastrous 4-3 loss away to fourth-tier club Sestao on Tuesday night brought an end to his tenure just shy of 1,000 days. González already knew his future was at stake as the club fell into the relegation zone courtesy of a 2-1 loss away to newly-promoted Racing Santander last weekend, extending their winless run in all competitions to six matches (D1, L5). Fans shouldn’t panic just yet though, as they managed to stay up last season despite recording an 18-game winless streak (D6, L12), and having already defeated one mid-table club on the road this season (2-0 v Osasuna), there’s enough to suggest their recovery could even start here.
Head-to-Head History
Villarreal are on a seven-game winning streak against Espanyol, by far their longest against any of the current 19 other La Liga clubs. They scored 4+ goals in three of their four home wins during that stretch.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Villarreal have conceded the opening goal in six league games this season but saved points in four (W2, D2, L2).
Villarreal are yet to lead a home game at half-time in this edition of La Liga (1H: D3, L1).
Espanyol's away league matches this season produced a joint-league high four goals inside the opening 15 minutes.
Six of Espanyol’s last seven La Liga losses were by a one-goal margin.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
After his winner against Valencia, Villarreal’s Georges Mikautadze now boasts a record of 11 victories from his 15 goalscoring appearances in La Liga, including a win at home to Espanyol last season. With his last four league goals coming within the first hour of an away game, Espanyol’s Roberto Fernández will be hoping for both his first goal and point against Villarreal (L3).
Pape Gueye remains suspended for Villarreal, who will also be assessing Nathan Saliba and Ilias Akhomach. Espanyol have ruled out both Kike García and Jofre Carreras.
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Betting Analysis
The hosts deserve their favouritism, but there could be some value in backing Villarreal to win by a one-goal margin.
Author: Aaron Murphy