Espanyol vs Leganes prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-01-10 17:30.
[p]Espanyol head coach Manolo González defied expectations to hold onto his job over the Christmas break, but the club’s first pair of La Liga games in 2025 look likely to determine his immediate future. They spent the winter break in the relegation zone and had the first weekend of January off having already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey by fourth-tier opposition in December, so the first half of the season has been tremendously underwhelming. [/p]
[p]It was the five points from their last three La Liga home games (W1, D2) that probably kept González in the hot seat, so the Parakeets should be confident that they can continue building on their points tally in their upcoming fixtures at home to fellow strugglers Leganés and Valladolid. Three of their four La Liga wins this term came as hosts against sides that spent the break alongside them in the bottom half of the standings, but it’s imperative that they continue in that vein before facing three top-six contenders in February![/p]
[p]The utterly unpredictable Leganés may appreciate starting the new calendar year on the road after bringing points home from both Alavés (D 1-1) and Barcelona (W 1-0) in between three consecutive home losses by three-goal margins. The 2023/24 Segunda División champions are just three points ahead of their next opponents courtesy of picking up three more draws, so they remain in the fight for top-flight survival. [/p]
[p]Even prior to the historic victory at Barça, Leganés came away from five of their first eight La Liga away trips with draws despite starting as underdogs on every occasion. Perhaps most importantly, that includes five draws against clubs placed tenth or lower during the winter break, so they’ll be confident of avoiding defeat in Barcelona again.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: It’s hard to look past Espanyol’s leading goalscorer Javi Puado (G6), who netted six of his last eight goals for the club at home. After he concluded 2024 with an assist against Villarreal, Miguel de la Fuente will be looking to add to his joint-career best three goals against Espanyol, two of which came at the RCDE Stadium.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only two of the 12 H2Hs played this century saw both teams score. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]