Villarreal Vs Espanyol Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | La Liga

Villarreal Vs Espanyol Preview

Tournament: La Liga

Date: Sunday, 27 April

Kick-off time: 14:15 GMT

Venue: Estadio de la Ceramica

Villarreal are set to tussle with Espanyol in round 26 of the La Liga action at the Estadio de la Ceramica, looking to return to winning ways.

Villarreal have endured a mixed season this term with the team lurking in sixth position in the standings. They are very well in reach for the European places as they trail fifth place Real Betis by just two points. However, they are without a win in the last two matches having suffered a defeat against Celta Vigo in the last match while playing a 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad.

In the last five matches, however, they have done well, registering two wins, two draws, and losing once. Ayoze Perez is leading the goalscoring chart with 14 goals, and Alex Baena provides the most assists with 7.

Espanyol on the other hand have also done well to secure their position for the next season. They are currently lurking in 13th in the table having accumulated 39 points from 32 matches courtesy of 10 wins, 9 draws and 13 losses.

They are performing well in the last five matches, securing three wins and two draws, which include Atletico Madrid, with whom they played a 1-1 draw. Javier Puado is their top scorer this season with 11 goals and Alvaro Tejero provides the most assists with 4.

Villarreal Team News

Villarreal have couple of injury concerns for this match. The injury list includes Alex Baena, who was outstanding for them before getting injured. The other players are Ilias Akhomach, Raul Albiolwhile Gerard Moreno remains a possible doubt for this match. Also, Eric Bailly is suspended for this match after being sent off in the last match.

Espanyol Team News

Espanyol will be without three players for this match. Brian Olivan is suffering from a foot injury, Jose Gragera from a broken finger and Sergi Gomez remains sidelined due to a back injury. The rest of players are available for selection as they aim to finish the season in strong form.

Villarreal Vs Espanyol Predicted Lineups

Villarreal predicted lineup (4-4-2):

Goalkeeper: Junior

Defenders: Kiko, Costa, Kambwala, Pedroza

Midfielders: Pino, Parejo, Gueye, Suarez

Attackers: Pepe, Perez

Espanyol predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Garcia

Defenders: El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero

Midfielders: Lozano, Gonzalez

Attackers: Carreras, Exposito, Puado; Fernandez

Villarreal Vs Espanyol H2H Record

These two sides have faced each other 25 times before this match, where Villarreal have secured 11 wins, drawn 10 and lost four. They are unbeaten in the last five matches against them, registering four wins and a draw.

Key players to watch in Villarreal Vs Espanyol

Ayoze Perez (Villarreal)

Ayoze Perez has to be one of the summer's signings in La Liga, having played a crucial role in their good run of form. This season, he has scored 14 goals in 25 matches for them, as he leads the goal-scoring charts for them. It is quite a remarkable campaign for a player who has achieved his best tally in the top flight. Perez is in great form in the last few matches, scoring three goals in his last five while providing another two assists.

Joan Garcia (Espanyol)

Joan Garcia has proven himself as a top goalkeeper this season for Espanyol, making countless save to save them from losing matches. This season, Garcia has seven clean sheets to his name from 32 matches while also saving two of the six penalties he has faced so far. He has already made an astonishing 122 saves, boasting a save percentage of 74.8 % which is among the best in the league.

Villarreal Vs Espanyol Prediction

Both teams are heading into this match in excellent form, which makes this match even more tricky. Villarreal will be pretty confident against them, considering their recent record against them. Considering the season so far, we expect Villarreal to emerge victorious here, with home advantage also playing a part.

Predicted Score: Villarreal 2-2 Espanyol

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