Espanyol hosts Sevilla in Friday's weekend opener.

2024-10-19

As Espanyol and Sevilla face off at the RCDE Stadium this Friday evening, both teams are desperately seeking to break their dismal Friday form and bounce back from heavy league defeats, while grappling with troubling winless streaks both against each other and on away grounds.

Espanyol

Espanyol suffered a 4-1 loss to Athletic Club at the weekend, marking their fourth defeat in five games [LLLWL]. Álvaro Tejero's late free-kick goal [90+2’] was merely a consolation, as Manolo González’s team had already fallen behind by four goals before the hour mark. This defeat leaves them in 15th place, just three spots above the drop zone.

González expressed his frustration after the loss, stating, "We were not good; I am angry because the plan did not work out as we expected.” He emphasized the need to recover quickly and focus on the upcoming La Liga matchup against Sevilla this Friday. Despite aiming for a win, Espanyol's head-to-head record against Sevilla is worrying.

Espanyol have not claimed victory in any of their last 10 La Liga games against Sevilla [0W, 3D, 7L]. Failing to win this Friday would set an unwanted record of 11 consecutive league matches without a win against Sevilla. Furthermore, Espanyol have struggled to secure victories in matches played on this day of the week, with no wins in their last five attempts [0W, 2D, 3L].

For the upcoming match, a 4—3—3 formation featuring Jofre Carreras, Alejo Véliz, and Alex Kral in attack is anticipated.

Sevilla

Like their hosts, Sevilla has experienced poor fortune on Fridays, enduring 11 games without a win (0W, 5D, 6L) on this day. They are eager to change their luck as they face Espanyol, aiming to recover from a challenging 5-1 loss to league leaders Barcelona.

Despite substitute Stanis Idumbo’s late strike (87’) reducing the deficit against Barça, Sevilla conceded again a minute later, ending their three-game unbeaten run (LWDWL). “Conceding five goals, even if it's from a great team like Barcelona, always hurts,” García Pimienta admitted after the defeat.

With this loss, Sevilla has dropped to 13th place in the league, tied on points with 12th-placed Girona, who have a better goal difference. Sevilla approaches Friday's match without a win in their last eight away league fixtures (0W, 4D, 4L).

A failure to secure a win against Espanyol would match their longest winless streak away from home in the competition over the past five years. They're expected to line up in a 4—2—3—1 formation, with Iván Romero leading the attack.

Meanwhile, Chidera Ejuke will be unavailable for three months due to a hamstring injury sustained against Barcelona.