Espanyol vs Valencia Predictions & Match Preview

Espanyol vs Valencia predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as Los Che travel to the RCDE Stadium.

Espanyol vs Valencia Preview

Espanyol and Valencia face off in the first match on the penultimate weekend. This one has been moved forwards given neither side is competing for anything so we can expect a real “end of season” feel to this game. It comes just a day after Espanyol somewhat surprisingly sacked coach Vicente Moreno. The 47 year old has done a good job overall, leading the Catalan club to promotion last term and comfortably avoiding the drop this season but there have seemingly been some falling outs between the coach and players of late which has contributed to this decision.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about these two clubs right now is looking ahead to what may happen in the summer with uncertainty surrounding the futures of some key players while the hosts clearly will need a new coach. For Espanyol much of that revolves around Raul De Tomas who has netted 16 times in an impressive campaign which has seen him break through into the national team. De Tomas may be looking for a move away with some reports on Friday even suggesting he has already told teammates he is heading for Sevilla.

As with many of these rumours, there may not prove to be any substance whatsoever to that but there is sure to be interest in the striker and it would be a major blow were Espanyol to lose him. They do at least have some promising youngsters emerging who may be ready to take on more responsibility next term. Javi Puado has had a solid campaign while Nico Melamed has also shown flashes of his quality with the duo likely to line up either side of De Tomas in attack for the hosts here.

It wouldn’t be summer if there wasn’t uncertainty at Valencia and that applies to both the coaching and playing staff. Jose Bordalas is by no means the first Valencia coach to clash with the people running the club with reports suggesting they may look to former Granada boss Diego Martinez as a potential replacement.

On the playing side of things, Valencia need to raise funds once more and look set to cash in on some of their key men. Carlos Soler, Jose Gaya and Goncalo Guedes have all been linked with moves away. Things haven’t been going much better on the pitch of late either, with Valencia winless in 8 games in all competitions heading into this, the latest of which was a 3-0 home defeat against Real Betis.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 3 Valencia Wins, 2 Espanyol Wins, 1 Draw.
• Espanyol won 2-1 at Mestalla earlier this term.
• However Valencia have won on 4 of their last 6 trips to this stadium.
• There have been red cards in 3 of the last 4 meetings.

Team News

*Valencia are appealing a proposed 4 game ban.

Latest LaLiga Injuries & Suspensions

Possible Lineups

Espanyol vs Valencia Predictions

Score Prediction: Espanyol 1-1 Valencia

Both these sides look like they are coasting towards the end of the season and both put in disappointing showings in midweek defeats to continue their current poor runs. There’s not much reason to feel confident about either team right now and a draw may be the outcome here.

PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips. No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.