Prematch: Villarreal vs Espanyol
Villarreal are set on returning to winning ways after two consecutive La Liga defeats
Published: April 26, 2023 03:59
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Villarreal are looking to regain their winning ways against Espanyol in this midweek encounter at El Madrigal on Thursday, April 27 at 18:30 (GMT+1). Kickoff time for Villarreal CF vs RCD Espanyol de Barcelona begins at 18:30 (GMT+1).
Villarreal Look to Rebound After Back-to-Back Defeats, Remain Sixth in La Liga Table
Villarreal [WWWLL] suffered back-to-back defeats following their 2-1 loss against Sevilla at the weekend, yet still remain sixth with 47 points [14W, 5D, 11L]. They missed out on taking advantage of a tie between Real Betis [49 points] and Real Sociedad which could have seen them advance further up the table. Villarreal have won their last two matches against Espanyol, just about equalling their record against them over their last ten [2W, 6D, 2L]. At home though, Villarreal have only managed one victory against Espanyol during that time; their 5-1 triumph back in February 2022 being their sole La Liga victory against them! Setien lined up a 4–4–2 formation featuring Jose Morales and Giovani Lo Celso for this weekend’s matchup against Sevillistas, although one of those defeats occurred against Sevillistas. Nicolas Jackson should lead the attack for this midweek contest, while Raul Albiol and Jose Morales remain doubtful for Thursday’s match, while Gerard Moreno [calf injury] remains unavailable, along with Francis Coquelin and Kiko Femenia.
Espanyol Look to Get Back on Track with Thursday Night Clash Against Villarreal
Espanyol managed to take one point away from Cadiz with them after drawing to a goalless draw at home on Sunday, remaining outside of the bottom three in 19th position despite this win and suffering four defeats consecutively, LLLLDLDLD. Espanyol have 28 points [6W, 10D and 14L] after six wins and 10 draws across 10 league matches so are currently two points short of safety before their clash against Yellow Submarine on Thursday night. “Thursday will present us with a fresh opportunity,” Nico Melamed stated prior to facing Villarreal. “We head into Villarreal looking to take all three points. To do that, however, we must be ourselves in every duel on the field and every game. Thursday will be no exception – give it your all!” “Every game from now until the end of the season will be like a final, and we have another one coming up,” noted 22-year-old midfielder Diego Martinez. Diego could line up a 4–4-2 with Martin Braithwaite and Joselu up front while Espanyol will be without Brian Olivan and Gori due to accumulation of yellow cards; Aleix Vidal remains suspended due to this accumulation.
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