Real Valladolid vs Espanyol predictions, H2H and match preview for this Sunday’s game in La Liga. Read on for analysis and predicted line-ups ahead of this key game at the bottom of the table.
by Daniel Garcia
Real Valladolid vs Espanyol Preview
There’s another key game at the bottom end of La Liga this Sunday as Espanyol travel to Real Valladolid. Victory for the visitors could really blow this relegation battle wide open and change what has largely been a battle between four teams into something much bigger. However if Valladolid can claim the win, they’d have a 10 point advantage on Espanyol with only 13 games to go, something they’d feel confident about protecting.
Real Valladolid are a team that really does seem to relish these big relegation six pointers. They won one a fortnight ago as they left Mallorca with a vital 1-0 victory. Sergio will be desperate for a repeat here but they don’t win or indeed lose many at home. 64% of the league matches at the Jose Zorrilla so far this season have finished up all square and you certainly wouldn’t rule out a repeat here with the recent history of this fixture also pointing in that direction.
Espanyol head into this game on the back of a 4-0 mauling at Wolves in the Europa League. They did leave some key players out for that game though and Abelardo would have always been eyeing up this match as the bigger one. Few doubt that Espanyol now have plenty of top flight quality in their side but they are still bottom of La Liga and if they are not careful, they could leave themselves too much to do in the run-in as they aim to avoid a first relegation this century.
No major changes are expected for the hosts here despite a late defeat at Granada last time out. The Espanyol team will be more interesting to look for with Raul De Tomas remaining a major injury doubt for this game. The January signing has really hit it off and has scored in all 4 league appearances for his new club so far, however Espanyol did perform well in his absence at Sevilla last time out.
Real Valladolid vs Espanyol Predictions
Score Prediction: 1-1 Draw
This is a tough one to call. It’s the kind of match that Espanyol are going to need to win if the are going to pull themselves to safety but a defeat would be a disaster. The fear of losing might get the better of Real Valladolid boss Sergio too so an 8th home league draw of the season could be on the cards for the hosts.
La Liga Betting Tips (18+)
Check out our Real Valladolid vs Espanyol betting tips by signing up to follow LaLigaExpert for free on Tipstrr. There you will be able to see all our profit/loss stats for this season and our picks for the other games this weekend in La Liga.
Remember though, that neither we nor any other tipster can guarantee any long-term gains. Only bet what you can afford to lose. See BeGambleAware for more on responsible gambling.
Real Valladolid vs Espanyol H2H
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 2 Espanyol Wins, 2 Real Valladolid Wins, 2 Draws.
- 4 of the last 6 meetings at the Jose Zorrilla have been drawn.
- The last 5 meetings here have seen 5 red cards in total.
- Real Valladolid were 2-0 winners when the sides met earlier this term at the RCDE Stadium.
Predicted Line Ups
Real Valladolid Team:
Masip – Garcia, Olivas, Salisu, Moyano – Villa, Alcaraz, Michel, Plano – Guardiola, Unal (4-4-2)
Espanyol Team:
Diego Lopez – Didac, Cabrera, Bernardo, Javi Lopez – Roca, David Lopez – Embarba, Darder, Wu – Calleri (4-2-3-1)
Check out all our weekend La Liga match previews and predictions here!
Be the first to comment