Villarreal
- Villarreal come into this game after a mixed week of results that saw them beat Napoli 3-1 at home in the UEFA Champions League, draw 0-0 at Elche in LaLiga 2026/2027 and then lose 4-3 away to Liverpool.
- Villarreal have won one and drawn one of their last four home matches.
Espanyol
- Espanyol are 16th in the standings after nine games of LaLiga 2026/2027, with eight points on the board, which means they are one place below Villarreal's 12th-placed standing after nine points from nine games.
- Manolo González, who has been in charge since March 2024, usually sets his side up in a 5-3-2 or 5-2-3, with his players staying compact and looking to counterattack when they win the ball.
- The Pericos, who drew 1-1 at Malaga before losing 0-1 at home to Atletico Madrid, haven't been in the best of form of late with their attack looking a little blunt.
- Espanyol have won one, drawn one, and lost three of their last five matches.
Head-to-Head
Villarreal have won five of the last five head-to-head meetings between these clubs, including a 4-1 home win in LaLiga 2025/2026.
Key Players
-
Players to watch heading into this one:
- Javi Hernandez has been the creator-in-chief for the Pericos with four assists in seven LaLiga 2026/2027 games, but Roberto Fernandez, with six goals in seven, has the better record of any Espanyol player in the final third.
- Pape Gueye is the most reliable scorer for Villarreal in the Spanish top flight with three goals in seven and Georges Mikautadze has been a livewire with three in their last five.
Betting Insights
- They are unlikely to come out on top on Friday, despite the fact that Villarreal are 1.54 favourites, Espanyol are 5.7 and the draw 4.1.
- We believe that the hosts should win but the odds-on price doesn't appeal and would rather take a small play on Both Teams To Score - No at 2.2 as a viable alternative.
Prediction
- The hosts should edge it, but they have to do it themselves as it is more likely to be a home job than an upset.
- This is a game that should be won by the home team, but Espanyol can make things tough for them and the BTTS-NO pick is the one to take.
