Villarreal are on a four-match undefeated streak in La Liga ahead of Sunday’s match with Espanyol at the Stadio de la Ceramica. The Yellow Submarine are also coming off of a 1-1 draw with Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
Unai Emery is aiming for another positive result as Villarreal could move into La Liga’s top four with a win and results elsewhere going their way. Espanyol will try to stop Villarreal’s momentum. The Parakeets are 14th in the league and nine points above the relegation zone.
😄🤝 pic.twitter.com/NfaHOTUxYW— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) February 24, 2022
😄🤝 pic.twitter.com/NfaHOTUxYW
Espanyol are winless in their last six games, but the good news for manager Vincente Moreno, is that the team’s last two games in La Liga finished as draws.
Still, the Parakeets picked up a mere three points from the last 18 points available in La Liga. They were outscored 13-8 across the last six matches. Despite their poor form, Espanyol recently took points off of Barcelona (2-2) and Sevilla (1-1) in consecutive matches.
Villarreal collected 11 points from the last 18 points available in the division. They outscored opponents 11-4 across their last six matches.
The Yellow Submarine have been excellent at the Stadio de la Cermica this season. They have a home record of 7W-4D-2L with 29 goals for and 13 goals against.
Espanyol, on the other hand, have won a mere one goal on the road this term. The Parakeets have an away record of 1W-4D-7L with 11 goals for and 19 conceded.
Villarreal failed to win their last two matches versus Espanyol. The Parakeets picked up a draw earlier this season versus Villarreal with the game finishing nil-nil.
Espanyol have an excellent head-to-head record versus Villarreal across their last 10 matches in all competitions. Espanyol posted a record of 3W-5D-2L across the last 10 matches in all competitions. Five of the last 10 matches in all competitions ended with under 2.5 goals scored.
Moreno has two names on the injured and absent list heading into the weekend fixture. Midfielder Manu Morlanes has a groin injury and is set to miss the game. Aleix Vidal is suspended for the match.
Emery is likely to be without midfielder Francis Coquelin. The defensive midfielder is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury. It looks as though Gerard Moreno will need more time to recovery from a calf injury. The striker has spent much of the season injured.
Villarreal are winless in back-to-back games against Espanyol, but they should end that streak on Sunday. The Yellow Submarine should post a strong win with under 2.5 goals scored.