Espanyol and Villarreal lock horns in La Liga this Wednesday. Espanyol languishes in 16th place right now after picking up just two wins from their opening 13 league matches.
Villarreal is in ninth but have struggled since Unai Emery departed. Quique Setien is looking for his first win since taking over.
In our in-depth betting preview, we have the latest La Liga odds and the best Espanyol vs Villarreal picks.
Matchup Preview
Espanyol head into this crucial league matchup, having drawn three games on the trot. Worryingly for Diego Martinez’s men, they have picked up just one win from their last nine La Liga games. However, they have lost just one of seven.
Emery was doing a solid job with this Villarreal side, but the former Arsenal manager opted for a move back to the Premier League with Aston Villa, who had just sacked Steven Gerrard.
Under Setien, the Yellow Submarine has lost the last three in all competitions. Read on for the best Espanyol vs Villarreal picks and La Liga predictions.
Espanyol vs. Villarreal Odds Breakdown
Looking at the live Espanyol vs Villarreal betting odds, despite a trio of defeats heading in, Villarreal is the slight favorite with the bookies.
At the time of writing, you can get +138 for the visitors to return to Castellon with all three points in the bag.
Espanyol may be on home soil, but the White and Blue are the underdogs in this one, with the bookies offering the generous La Liga odds of +220 for the home victory. Right now, the draw is available at +138.
Espanyol vs. Villarreal Betting Preview
Espanyol
Espanyol has had a mixed bag of results at the start of this season. So far, the Barcelona-based club has won two, lost five, and drawn six of their opening 13.
They are down in the 16th spot in the current La Liga standings, just a point above the drop zone. In spite of their lowly league position, Espanyol has not been an easy nut to crack of late.
Espanyol Back-to-back Defeats
Since back-to-back defeats to Sevilla and Real Sociedad in mid-September, the White and Blue have suffered just one loss from their following seven in La Liga. On the flip side, they have won just once during that time.
After a 1-0 reverse at Osasuna on October 20th, Espanyol has drawn three league games on the trot. They drew with Elche and Mallorca before holding Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 tie at the Metropolitano last time out.
Despite playing for over an hour with ten men, Espanyol left the Spanish capital with a deserved point.
La Liga Outings
Martinez’s boys have struggled in front of their home supporters this season. The Parakeets lost their opening three La Liga outings at RCDE Stadium, though they are undefeated in the last three.
Their only home victory of the campaign came against Real Valladolid last month.
Can they extend their unbeaten home run to four and pick up just their third league success of the season on Wednesday? Check out our Espanyol vs Villarreal picks below.
Villarreal
Villarreal made a solid start under Emery, losing just two La Liga games before his departure. The Yellow Submarine also cruised to the top spot in their UEFA Europa Conference League group, booking their place in the last 16 with ease.
However, things have gone downhill after Emery’s surprise switch to Aston Villa.
Former Barcelona boss Setien – who had not managed since leaving the Camp Nou in 2022 – is the new man at the helm at Villarreal.
Unfortunately for the 64-year-old, it has not quite gone to plan yet, as the Castellon club has yet to win under their new manager.
After starting with a 2-2 European draw with Hapoel Beer Sheva, Setien has gone on to lose three league and cup fixtures on the trot.
Villareal’s Back-to-back League Defeats
They have suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time this season, losing 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao and 2-0 at home to Mallorca in the last two.
They have not won since a dramatic 2-1 home victory over Almeria last month, which proved to be Emery’s final game in charge.
Villarreal’s form on the road has been poor of late, as they have lost three successive away league games and have not won on their travels in La Liga since August.
Also, they have failed to score in five of their last six away matches in all competitions. Can they put things right on Wednesday?
Espanyol vs. Villarreal Pick and Prediction
This will be the final league game for these two La Liga teams until La Liga resumes after the FIFA World Cup break on New Year’s Eve. With that in mind, both sides will be desperate for all three points at RCDE Stadium.
Neither team is in good form ahead of this one, and it could go either way in Barcelona. Espanyol has picked up just two league wins this season, while Villarreal has failed to win under their new manager.
Most Profitable Team to Bet On
We can see the two cancel each other out, and there is good value in the 1-1 draw at the top La Liga odds of +500.
Also, we like the look of +375 for the draw at half-time and full-time. We predicted the Espanyol vs Villarreal score to be a draw, 1-1.
Final Score Prediction: Espanyol 1-1 Villarreal (+500)
Pick: Draw at Half Time and Full Time (+375)
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.
