Sports Mole previews Thursday’s La Liga clash between Espanyol and Villarreal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Espanyol and Villarreal will both be looking to bounce back from heavy defeats when they face off at the RCDE Stadium on Thursday.
The hosts are sitting in 13th spot in La Liga with seven points to their name, while the visitors are four points better off in sixth position.
Match preview
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Newly-promoted Espanyol have experienced a mixed start to the season, having won two, drawn one and lost three of their opening seven matches.
The Periquitos recovered from consecutive defeats to take a point off Atletico Madrid before recording back-to-back home wins over Rayo Vallecano and Alaves.
Unfortunately for Espanyol, their three-game unbeaten run came to an end in Saturday’s away clash against La Liga champions Real Madrid despite taking a surprise lead in the 54th-minute courtesy of a Thibaut Courtois own goal.
Los Blancos ultimately showcased their extra quality as Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe all found the net to condemn Manolo Gonzalez‘s side to a 4-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Having failed to win any of their opening three away games, Espanyol will be looking to return to the RCDE Stadium, where they will attempt to claim three consecutive home wins in the top flight since March/April 2022.
If they are to achieve that feat, the Periquitos will have to beat Villarreal for the first time since recording a narrow 2-1 away victory in January 2020.
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Villarreal went into Sunday’s home clash against Barcelona in a confident mood after kicking off the new season with a five-game unbeaten run (W3, D2), including victories over Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Mallorca.
However, their growing momentum was ultimately halted by a free-scoring Barcelona side as Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored braces to condemn Villarreal to a heavy 5-1 defeat at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
The Yellow Submarine would have been frustrated they were unable to add to Ayoze Perez‘s first-half effort, especially as Yeremy Pino, Nicolas Pepe and Thierno Barry all had goals ruled out.
Having shipped 13 goals in their six matches, Villarreal currently share the worst defensive record with Real Valladolid, highlighting a key area for improvement if they are to mount a successful top-four push this season.
After falling to a home defeat at the weekend, Villarreal will now head on their travels with aspirations of extending their unbeaten away run to six La Liga matches.
They will certainly fancy their chances of claiming maximum points after winning their last three games against Espanyol by a combined 10-3 scoreline.
Espanyol La Liga form:
Villarreal La Liga form:
Team News
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Espanyol have reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of Thursday’s fixture, but they are still unable to call upon long-term absentee Edu Exposito.
Gonzalez may be tempted to freshen up his midfield, with Alvaro Aguado among those who could be brought in to feature in the engine room.
In the final third, Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alejo Veliz is pushing for a recall after featuring as a half-time substitute against Real Madrid.
As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon defender Juan Foyth and forward Gerard Moreno due to knee and hamstring injuries respectively.
Villarreal also have doubts over the availability of centre-back Willy Kambwala and left-back Alfonso Pedraza due to their respective physical issues.
Marcelino may decide to bring some fresh legs into the side, with Ilias Akhomach and Barry both in contention to start at the RCDE Stadium.
Spain international Perez will be looking to continue his fine form, having scored four goals in six matches since arriving from Real Betis in the summer.
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
We say: Espanyol 1-2 Villarreal
Villarreal may possess some defensive vulnerabilities, but they also possess a real threat in the final third, and we think their firepower could help them bounce back from Sunday’s defeat by claiming a narrow win over Espanyol on Thursday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.