The La Liga clash at Estadio Mestalla on Sunday sees Valencia hosting opponents Espanyol.
Valencia approach round 37 as number 13 in the La Liga table with 40 points on their account so far. With 36 rounds behind them, Espanyol have amassed 35 points, placing them as number 19 in the standings.
Both teams should be motivated to improve on their situation in the lower parts of the La Liga table.
Valencia go into their next La Liga match, scoring a humble average of 1.1 per game in their last ten matches. They scored a mundane 11 times, while conceding 11. That amounts to an average of 1.1 per game, where they kept their opponents from scoring two times.
Espanyol scored 15 goals, conceded 22 and managed two clean sheets in their previous ten matches.
The most recent outing between Valencia and Espanyol ended up a 2-2 draw. The best betting odds on a draw at full-time with the bookies are at 13/5.
Valencia vs Espanyol Prediction
Valencia Form
In their last three matches, Valencia beat Celta Vigo by 1-2 and Real Madrid by 1-0, before losing against Mallorca by 1-0. Valencia won half of their previous six matches on home soil in the La Liga, while also drawing two. They suffered one defeats, while they scored six and conceded five goals.
Espanyol Form
Espanyol claimed four points from a possible nine in their last three matches across all tournaments, which opened with a defeat 2-4 against Barcelona. A 1-2 win followed against Rayo Vallecano, before drawing 3-3 with Atletico Madrid. Espanyol managed to win just once in their past six away games in the La Liga. On top of winning once they also drew zero as well as losing five, while scoring 16 time and letting in nine.
Many people had Espanyol down as candidates for the drop before the season, but rescue is still within reach, as the season nears its end.
Espanyol and Valencia are almost always cautious, when going toe-to-toe with each other, which makes under 2.5 goals the value bet on Sunday.
Valencia won 12 points from their last 11 encounters with teams from the bottom six, like their upcoming opponent. They won three, scored 17 and let in 15 goals. Espanyol earned 15 points from their last nine games against teams placed in the bottom six of the La Liga table. They scored 11 goals in those matches, but also allowed ten goals against on their way to four wins. Valencia are looking at a record of 11 wins, seven draws and 18 defeats in the La Liga this season. Espanyol put eight wins, 11 draws and 17 defeats on the board in the La Liga.
Valencia vs Espanyol Stats
- In the last 18 Valencia matches the sum of goals was under 3.5
- In the last 8 Valencia home matches the sum of goals was under 3.5
- Valencia have scored in 12 of the last 14 home matches
- In 6 of the last 7 Valencia home matches the sum of goals was under 2.5
- In 4 of the last 5 matches Valencia played, both teams scored
- In 12 of the last 14 matches Espanyol played, both teams scored
- Espanyol have scored in 24 of the last 26 matches
- In 12 of the last 14 Espanyol matches the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In the last 7 away matches in a row Espanyol played, both teams scored
- Espanyol have lost 6 of the last 7 away matches and both teams scored at the same time
Valencia vs Espanyol Squads
Valencia Squad
The 47-year-old coach of the home team, Ruben Baraja, will select the lineup against Espanyol from the squad below. The information in the brackets refers to goals scored and matches played in the La Liga this season:
Cristian Rivero (0/0), Giorgi Mamardashvili (0/36), Iago Herrerin (0/0), Jaume Domenech (0/0), Cenk Ozkacar (0/17), Cristhian Mosquera (0/3), Dimitri Foulquier (0/28), Eray Coemert (1/23), Gabriel Paulista (1/19), Hugo Guillamon (1/24), Jesus Vazquez (0/9), Jose Gaya (1/29), Mouctar Diakhaby (3/27), Thierry Correia (0/25), Toni Lato (1/23), Andre Almeida (2/32), Fran Perez (0/7), Ilaix Moriba (0/24), Justin Kluivert (6/24), Nico Gonzalez (1/24), Yunus Musah (0/32), Diego Lopez (1/8), Edinson Cavani (5/24), Hugo Duro (1/29), Marcos de Sousa (1/17), Samuel Castillejo (4/25), Samuel Dias Lino (5/36).
Espanyol Squad
Here is the full squad of the away team. The 42 year-old Espanyol manager Garcia will select his starting XI from these players:
Alvaro Fernandez (0/11), Angel Fortuno (0/0), Fernando Pacheco (0/16), Joan Garcia (0/0), Adria Pedrosa (0/6), Aleix Vidal (0/24), Brian Olivan (1/28), Cesar Montes (2/18), Fernando Calero (0/25), Joan Puig (0/0), Leandro Cabrera (0/31), Omar El Hilali (0/5), Oscar Gil (0/31), Ronael Pierre-Gabriel (0/7), Ruben Sanchez (0/18), Sergi Gomez (0/28), Wassim Keddari (0/6), Daniel Villahermosa (0/0), Denis Suarez (0/16), Edu Exposito (2/27), Javier Puado (6/35), Jose Carlos Lazo (1/11), Jose Gragera (1/9), Keidi Bare (0/17), Luca Koleosho (0/0), Roger Martinez (0/0), Sergi Darder (6/36), Vinicius de Souza Costa (1/32), Daniel Gomez (0/0), Joselu (16/33), Martin Braithwaite (9/29), Nabili Touaizi (0/0), Nico Ribaudo (1/30).
Valencia vs Espanyol Team News
At the time of writing, it looks as if only two players are unavailable for Valencia, when they prepare for their upcoming assignment.
Samuel Castillejo and Nico Gonzalez are all absent from the Valencia squad that faces Espanyol at Estadio Mestalla.
Apparently, Espanyol have just two players on the injured and absent list, as they prepare for their match on Sunday.
Names like Keidi Bare and Adria Pedrosa most likely won't be deemed fit enough to play Valencia.
Valencia vs Espanyol Lineups
Valencia vs Espanyol H2H
Valencia and Espanyol had to settle for a point each in their most recent match, which finished with a 2-2 scoreline. The best betting odds on a draw at full-time with the bookies are at 13/5. Valencia were a little more successful than Espanyol in recent meetings, and go into their next encounter with a 5-3-2 advantage. Naturally, betting on Valencia has more often than not proved the profitable way to go. The bookies best betting odds on a home win are at 11/10.
Valencia vs Espanyol Results
In four of the previous ten matches between Valencia and Espanyol both teams scored.
Valencia vs Espanyol Betting Tips
It has been a great season for Joselu who bagged 16 for his club so far and bringing that kind of form to the table is crucial for the success of Espanyol.
Estadio Mestalla witnessed Valencia winning four of their 10 latest matches across all tournaments here. They drew three and lost three in this run. Espanyol won two of their previous 10 games away, drew zero and lost eight. Strap yourselves up for a goals at Estadio Mestalla since both teams scored in six of the last 10 home matches for Valencia. The same occurred in eight of the last 10 league games away from home for Espanyol.
In the past ten encounters between Valencia and Espanyol over 2.5 goals came out three times, with Valencia scoring an average of 1.1 goals per game. Espanyol averaged 0.8 goals, while both teams scored four times. Over 2.5 goals was a winning bet in four of Valencia’s past ten matches across all tournaments. They scored 1.1 goals on average along the way. Over 2.5 goals came up in eight of Espanyol's previous ten matches across all tournaments. They managed to score an average of 1.5 goals in these matches.
