Head-to-Head
- Villarreal CF have won all of the last five head-to-head matchups between these clubs in all competitions.
- Villarreal CF have failed to win or draw either of their last two home games.
Villarreal CF
- Villarreal CF currently occupy fourth place in LaLiga 2025/2026 with 42 points from 21 games, having recorded a solid league campaign to date.
- Marcelino Garcia has done an excellent job since taking the reins in November 2023, implementing a system that encourages compact defensive shape, quick transitions and a fluid 4-4-2 that morphs into a diamond.
- Villarreal can be incredibly fast in transition, overloading the center and half-spaces with numbers.
- The Yellow Submarine are also coming into this game on the back of a five-game winless streak (D1, L4), having drawn 2-2 away at Osasuna in their most recent outing.
- Alberto Moleiro is their best player and has 8 goals in 21 appearances in LaLiga 2025/2026, while Gerard Moreno is their most clinical finisher with three goals across the last five games.
Espanyol
- Espanyol currently sit in sixth spot in the LaLiga 2025/2026 standings with 34 points from 22 matches, eight points fewer than Villarreal CF.
- His 4-2-3-1 is a low-risk, highly structured system that focuses on building up the ball in a structured manner, positioning the team into a disciplined mid-block and creating chances from set pieces.
- The Parakeets are also winless in their last five, drawing once and losing four times in that period.
- Espanyol have lost three consecutive games ahead of this clash, having lost 0-2 at home to Girona, 3-2 at Valencia and 1-2 at home to Deportivo Alaves in their most recent outing.
Key Players
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Key players to watch:
- Alberto Moleiro is their best player and has 8 goals in 21 appearances in LaLiga 2025/2026, while Gerard Moreno is their most clinical finisher with three goals across the last five games.
- Pere Milla leads the line for Espanyol with six goals in 20 league games and always poses a threat.
Betting Insights
- With both teams in poor form, this game could be a pivotal fixture for their respective European ambitions.
- Both Teams To Score market is also very tempting.
- Villarreal have conceded just 0.82 goals per-game at home, shipping just nine goals in 11 outings, while Espanyol have conceded 1.10 goals per-game away from home in this campaign, conceding 11 times in 10 outings.
Prediction
Villarreal have a much stronger home record than Espanyol ( W8, D1, L2 ) and given the disparity in the odds and the head-to-head record, I’m confidently backing the Yellow Submarine to take all three points on Monday .
