Espanyol vs Villarreal
La Liga this season
View moreOutcome Breakdown
| GP | P | GD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 30 | 51 | 13 | |
| 12 | 31 | 38 | -6 |
VIL
ESY
Villarreal looking to extend three-game unbeaten run against Espanyol.
After a tough 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid, Espanyol look to end their four-game winless run against Villarreal in a crucial midweek clash at Cornellà-El Prat, aiming to climb up the table and stabilize their top-flight status.
Espanyol
Espanyol were on the receiving end of a 4-1 scoreline against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu over the weekend. The White and Blue initially took the lead through an own goal by Thibaut Courtois before the game dramatically changed.
Espanol’s head coach, Manolo González, expressed his disappointment, acknowledging that the goals conceded were avoidable, as he believed his team was capable of securing points. This defeat ended Espanyol’s three-game unbeaten stretch, dropping them to 13th place with 7 points.
Espanyol now have an opportunity to recover when they host Villarreal on Thursday. While they aim to climb the table, their primary goal remains ensuring top-flight survival after their recent promotion from the Segunda division.
Espanyol will be seeking to end a four-game winless streak against Villarreal. They are expected to field a 5-3-2 formation, featuring Javi Puado and Walid Cheddira in attack, though Edu Expósito will be unavailable for this midweek clash.
Villarreal
Villarreal saw their five-game winless run come to an end at the weekend after a 5-1 loss to table-topping Barcelona. Ayoze Pérez attempted to spark a comeback by halving Villarreal’s deficit after a Robert Lewandowsky brace, but a goal from Pablo Torre took the game out of reach.
A brace from Raphinha, who is just behind La Liga’s leading goal scorer Robert Lewandowski on the scoring charts, put the final nail in the coffin. "I think the result was excessive for what we saw on the pitch. I’m proud of the team’s work and the way we played, and I’m sad about our defensive record," Villarreal head coach Marcelino García Toral said in a post-match interview.
Villarreal are 6th with 11 points, just one point outside the top four ahead of Thursday’s clash against Espanyol. The last time Villarreal visited Espanyol, they walked away with a 1-0 win. Victory on Thursday will not only leave the visitors with back-to-back wins over Espanyol but with a four-game unbeaten run against the hosts.
A 4-4-2 formation with Ayoze Pérez and Nicolas Pépé in attack is expected for this fixture against Espanyol.
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