Leganes vs Villarreal prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-12-21 17:30.
[p]After their sensational 1-0 win at Barcelona, Leganés could now register consecutive La Liga victories for the first time since earning promotion back to the top flight in the summer. No team in the division has scored fewer home goals than them this season, a deficiency that has also been evident on their own patch when facing upcoming opponents Villarreal, as Los Pepineros failed to find the net in four of the last six H2Hs at Estadio Municipal de Butarque (W2, D1, L3). [/p]
[p]Having just returned to La Liga, Leganés will likely be pleased that they are three points above the relegation zone approaching the halfway point of the league campaign. That cushion to the bottom three could have been significantly greater were it not for them dropping points from winning positions against Osasuna, Getafe, Atlético Madrid and Alavés, and as a result only Valencia and Rayo Vallecano had failed to win after taking the lead more often than Leganés this La Liga season.[/p]
[p]Despite that statistic, Leganés may feel that they can take advantage of Villarreal’s poor run of form, with the Yellow Submarine without a win in six (D3, L3) competitive matches. A 1-1 draw against Rayo on Wednesday appears another missed opportunity but it was an impressive result given that they trailed 1-0 when down to ten men in the first half. [/p]
[p]Villarreal’s UEFA Champions League qualification prospects have certainly dwindled since their fantastic start to the campaign, with Marcelino’s men now facing a struggle to stay in fifth place let alone move up the table. The players’ spirits may be lifted though by knowing that the club’s all-time La Liga win percentage against LeganĂ©s is 62.5% (W5, D1, L2) – their highest such figure against any side currently in the division. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Sergio González was the goalscoring hero in the triumph at Barcelona, with his header being the ninth successive time that he has both found the net and avoided defeat for LeganĂ©s (W6, D3). Villarreal’s Ayoze PĂ©rez ended his four-match scoring drought at club level in midweek against Rayo – the sixth goal out of his last eight for Villarreal to have arrived before half-time. [/p]
[p]Hot streak: Villarreal’s last six La Liga away games all saw at least one goal scored in each half. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Alex Bowmer[/i][/p]