Espanyol LDLDDD 📉

Espanyol head into this fixture following on from a 2-2 La Liga draw vs Celta Vigo.

In that game, Espanyol managed 40% possession and 11 attempts at goal with 2 on target. For Espanyol, the goals were scored by Edu Expósito (72') and Joselu (98'). Celta Vigo got 8 attempts at goal with 3 of them on target. Iago Aspas (45') and Gonçalo Paciência (63') scored for Celta Vigo.

It has been a rare occasion in recent times that Espanyol have shown defensive steel. The reality is that Espanyol have seen their defence breached in 5 of their previous 6 clashes, leaking 10 goals in the process.

Looking at the pre-match facts, Espanyol:

have not beaten Rayo Vallecano in their last 4 matches in the league.

are undefeated in their last 2 league matches at home.

are without a home win in the past 3 league games.

Previously, Rayo Vallecano drew 0-0 in the La Liga tie with Barcelona.

In that game, Rayo Vallecano managed 32% possession and 4 shots at goal with 2 of them on target. Barcelona got 21 attempts at goal with 6 of them on target.

During their six most recent matches, Andoni Iraola's Rayo Vallecano have had reason to celebrate scoring a total of 5 times therefore giving them the goals per game average of 0.83.

Taking a look at their past results, Rayo Vallecano:

remain unbeaten by Espanyol in games played away from home for the previous 2 matches in the league.

haven’t won away from home in the past 3 league matches.

A review of their past head to head meetings going back to 28/09/2018 shows us that Espanyol have won 1 of these and Rayo Vallecano 4, with the tally of drawn results standing at 1.

An aggregate of 15 goals were produced between them in this period, with 6 of them for Periquitos and 9 created by Franjirrojos. The average number of goals per game works out to 2.5.

The last league contest between the two was La Liga match day 33 on 21/04/2022 when it finished Espanyol 0-1 Rayo Vallecano.

That time, Espanyol managed 57% possession and 6 shots on goal with 2 on target.

Rayo Vallecano had 13 attempts at goal with 2 of them on target. Sergi Guardiola (42') scored.

The referee was Antonio Mateu Lahoz.

🗞️ Team News: Espanyol

The Espanyol manager Diego Martínez doesn’t have any fitness concerns at all before this match with a completely injury-free squad ready to go.

It looks as if Periquitos look set to opt for a 4-3-3 formation this time featuring Benjamin Lecomte, Óscar Gil, Sergi Gomez, Leandro Cabrera, Brian Oliván, Vinicius Souza, Fernando Calero, Sergi Darder, Rubén Sánchez, Joselu and Nico Melamed.

📋 Team News: Rayo Vallecano

Thanks to a completely injury-free squad to pick from, the Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola doesn’t have any fitness concerns whatsoever before this match.

We are inclined to think that Franjirrojos will likely begin the game with a 4-2-3-1 formation, choosing Stole Dimitrievski, Ivan Balliu, Florian Lejeune, Alejandro Catena, Fran García, Pathé Ciss, Unai López Cabrera, Isi Palazón, Oscar Trejo, Á. García Rivera and S. Camello Pérez.

⚡ Prediction

In our opinion, Rayo Vallecano will likely be able to put a goal past this Espanyol team, however that may not quite be enough to avoid a loss.

We think that it’s going to be a very close game with a 2-1 winning score for Espanyol by the conclusion of the game. It really should be an interesting one.