Espanyol vs Sevilla Predictions & Match Preview

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

Espanyol vs Sevilla Preview

Struggling Sevilla face another tough test this weekend as they travel to the RCDE Stadium to take on Espanyol. Their opponents are fresh from a first win of the season and will be hoping to pile on the misery for Julen Lopetegui.

Espanyol really didn’t convince in their opening games under Diego Martinez but are starting to look a bit more like the kind of team we’d associate with him now. A win always helps to restore some belief and they got that last weekend in Bilbao. While it perhaps wasn’t necessarily a game where they truly warranted all three points, new signing Martin Braithwaite popped up with a late goal to mark his debut in style and seal a 1-0 win.

There are increasingly some positives for Martinez to reflect on at this stage. The midfield is starting to look quite competitive with Vinícius Souza and Edu Exposito solid additions behind the more creative Sergi Darder. The front-line also feels a bit more threatening than it did a few weeks ago with Braithwaite and the fit again Javi Puado, operating either side of Joselu who will always carry a goal threat.

You’d struggle to find many positives for Sevilla and Julen Lopetegui right now though. They’ve started the season with just 1 point from their opening 4 league games and were dealt a fresh blow in midweek as they sunk to a 4-0 defeat against Manchester City in the Champions League. The discontent at the Sanchez-Pizjuan is increasingly audible, although in truth much of that is directed at the club president and not merely the coach or players.

Even so, this does feel like a “make or break” week for Lopetegui. The results in three away fixtures, with Copenhagen and Villarreal following this one, will surely determine his future with the international break always a convenient time for clubs to make a change. With or without Lopetegui, Sevilla have problems though and they already have a lot of ground to make up on their likely rivals for European qualification.

Team News & Possible Lineups

Espanyol

Possible XI: Fernandez – Olivan, Cabrera, Calero, Gil – Exposito, Souza – Puado, Darder, Braithwaite – Joselu (4-2-3-1)

Coach: Diego Martinez

Fantasy Star: Sergi Darder

Sevilla

Possible XI: Bono – Acuna, Rekik, Nianzou, Navas – Oliver, Fernando, Jordan – Isco, Dolberg, Lamela (4-3-3)

Coach: Julen Lopetegui

Fantasy Star: Fernando

Score Prediction: Espanyol 2-1 Sevilla

Having lost on the road at Osasuna and Almeria, there’s not really any reason to think Sevilla will go any better here. They are still missing Marcão who they hope will cure some of their defensive issues. Espanyol will certainly detect weakness in their opponents and will be in confident mood after their first win last weekend. Diego Martinez’s side look capable of edging this one.

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