Espanyol vs Sevilla prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-10-24 19:00.
[p]After suffering the ignominy of a 4-1 defeat last Saturday, Espanyol enter this round of fixtures as one of a seven-side glut separated by just four points at the bottom of the La Liga table. Despite the looming threat of a relegation battle at this early stage however, ten points after ten matches represents a better return than in two of their last three top-flight campaigns, although both of those seasons in which they had fewer points did ultimately see them drop into the second tier. Â [/p]
[p]Staving off relegation this time round will undoubtedly depend heavily on Espanyolâs home form, as theyâve already picked up nine of their ten-point haul in 2024/25 at RCDE Stadium (W3, L2). Manolo GonzĂĄlez must take some confidence from that top-half standard on their own patch going into the weekend, but he has never masterminded a victory over Sevilla boss GarcĂa Pimienta in five previous meetings between the pair in the dugout (D2, L3), having faced no other manager more often without ever winning.[/p]
[p]Sitting only two points above Espanyol, Sevilla travel here after a 5-1 thrashing by Barcelona, which ended their promising three-game unbeaten run (W2, D1). Just 12 points is a slightly disappointing total currently for Los Nervionenses, although it is better than the ten theyâd achieved at the same stage of their last two campaigns, each of which saw the usual European regulars post bottom-half finishes. [/p]
[p]Playing away isnât guaranteed to stimulate further progress for Sevilla, who return to Barcelona this weekend following eight consecutive winless league games on the road (D4, L4). Just once during that sequence did Sevilla manage to keep a clean sheet, suggesting that theyâll need to tighten up to taste success at the ninth attempt, but one positive potential omen for the visitors is that theyâre playing Espanyol, a side against whom they enjoy an ongoing seven-year unbeaten run (W7, D3). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Ălvaro Tejero continued his fine form for Espanyol by registering his third goal contribution of the season in their last outing (G1, A2). However, the full-backâs primary concern may be to stop the likes of 19-year-old attacking midfielder Stanis Idumbo, who has staked his claim for a full debut after scoring against Barcelona in what was just his second appearance from the bench for Sevilla. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Sevilla have conceded ten first-half goals in their last eight away league games. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]