Sports Mole previews Saturday’s La Liga clash between Espanyol and Villarreal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Villarreal will be aiming to post a third straight win in Spain’s top flight when they continue their campaign with a clash against Espanyol at RCDE Stadium on Saturday night.
The Yellow Submarine are currently third in the La Liga table, seven points behind the leaders Real Madrid, while the hosts are sixth, with the Catalan side picking up 18 points from their first 11 games of the season.
Match preview
Espanyol have made an impressive start to the 2025-26 campaign, boasting a record of five wins, three draws and three defeats from their 11 matches, with 18 points leaving them in sixth spot in the table.
The Catalan side are only four points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, and they have been victorious in three of their last four matches in all competitions during an excellent run of form.
That said, Manolo Gonzalez‘s side will enter this game off the back of a defeat, going down 2-1 to 10-man Alaves last time out, with that result a real setback for the White and Blues.
Espanyol finished 14th in Spain’s top flight last season and have not actually managed to claim a top-half spot in La Liga since 2018-19, so there is plenty on the line for them this term.
The White and Blues have only won 12 of their previous 54 matches against Villarreal in all competitions, and they are currently on a run of five straight defeats against the Yellow Submarine.
Villarreal recorded 2-1 and 1-0 victories in the league games between the two sides last term, while Espanyol have not managed to overcome the Yellow Submarine in Spain’s top flight since January 2020.
Marcelino‘s side will enter this match off the back of a hugely disappointing result in the Champions League, suffering a 1-0 defeat to FC Pafos, with that loss leaving them down in 32nd spot in the overall table.
Villarreal have only picked up one point from their four European matches this season, but they have been impressive in Spain’s top flight, boasting a record of seven wins, two draws and two defeats from 11 matches, which has left them in third spot in the table on 23 points.
The Yellow Submarine have won their last two in the league, beating Valencia and Rayo Vallecano, while they are unbeaten in Spain’s top flight since a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid at the start of October.
Villarreal will be determined to return to winning ways here following the disappointment of their defeat to Pafos, and they have not lost away to Espanyol since January 2019.
Espanyol La Liga form:
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Espanyol form (all competitions):
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Villarreal La Liga form:
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Villarreal form (all competitions):
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Team News
Espanyol will once again be without the services of Javi Puado, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape for the league fixture with Villarreal on Saturday.
Pere Milla has been a standout player for the Catalan outfit this season, finding the back of the net on four occasions, and there will be a spot in an attacking area for the 33-year-old.
Roberto Fernandez, who has two goals and three assists for Espanyol this term, will also be in the starting side, while there should be a spot in midfield for Charles Pickel.
As for Villarreal, Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala and Pau Cabanes will miss the match due to injury issues.
Head coach Marcelino will make changes to the side that took to the field for the Champions League game against Pafos, with Gerard Moreno, Santi Comesana, Thomas Partey and Alfonso Pedraza potentially all starting.
Ayoze Perez may drop to the bench, with Georges Mikautadze set to feature through the middle, while Tajon Buchanan is also likely to earn a spot in the starting side.
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Romero; Exposito, Lozano; Dolan, Pickel, Milla; Fernandez
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Junior; Mourino, Veiga, Foyth, Pedraza; Buchanan, Partey, Comesana, Moleiro; Moreno, Mikautadze
We say: Espanyol 2-2 Villarreal
Goals have been on the agenda in the recent meetings between the two sides, with 17 scored across their last five matches, and we are predicting more entertainment here. It would not be a shock to see a home or indeed an away win, but we are backing a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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