MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 04:49:27| >> :600:4368526:4368526:
[monks data]
Espanyol logo
La Liga | Gameweek 6
Sep 22, 2021 at 6.30pm UK
Estadi Cornellà-El Prat
Alaves logo
Espanyol
1 - 0
Alaves
de Tomas (54' pen.)
Cabrera (90+1'), Lopez (90+6')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Duarte (53')

Preview: Espanyol vs. Alaves - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's La Liga clash between Espanyol and Alaves, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Alaves will continue their search for a first point of the season on Wednesday, when they make the trip to take on Espanyol.

The visitors now prop up the La Liga table after four straight defeats, while their newly-promoted hosts sit just two points better off, having also failed to win.


Match preview

Espanyol boss Vicente Moreno pictured in December 2019© Reuters

After winning the second tier last season, Espanyol marked their return to the top flight with consecutive draws, holding Osasuna and Villarreal to goalless stalemates in their opening two games.

Vicente Moreno's men then suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to fellow promoted side Mallorca, before coming close to taking a result from Atletico Madrid, as Raul de Tomas put them 1-0 up before Yannick Carrasco hit a 79th-minute equaliser and Thomas Lemar netted the winner in the 99th minute to snatch all three points for the La Liga champions.

The Blanquiazules bounced back from that disappointment last time out though, as they earned a commendable point against Real Betis, with Leandro Cabrera rescuing a point with an equaliser in the 97th minute after Aleix Vidal had initially put them ahead.

With three points from a tough opening schedule, Moreno's side have reason to be positive, and they will now look to put their first victory on the board against a side who are yet to collect a point.

Alaves' Luis Rioja celebrates scoring their first goal on February 13, 2021© Reuters

After only avoiding the drop by four points last season, Alaves will have headed into the new term with the hopes of a more comfortable finish, but they were handed a 4-1 thrashing by Real Madrid on the opening day to immediately go onto the back foot.

They were unable to bounce back against newly-promoted Mallorca, with Fer Nino firing the visitors to a 1-0 win, before they succumbed to their third defeat of the campaign when they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Valencia in August.

Upon their return to league action following the recent international break, Javier Calleja's side suffered their fourth straight loss in the Spanish top flight, with first-half goals from David Garcia and Roberto Torres firing the visitors to a 2-0 victory.

Now one of just two sides who are yet to pick up a point, El Glorioso currently sit at the foot of the division, having conceded 10 goals from their four games while scoring just one at the other end of the pitch.

Calleja will be desperate for his team to quickly reverse their fortunes to climb away from the foot of the table as the league begins to take shape.

Espanyol La Liga form:
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • D

Alaves La Liga form:
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • L



Team News

Espanyol's Sergi Darder pictured in July 2020© Reuters

After an impressive away point against Real Betis last time out, Espanyol are unlikely to make wholesale changes to the squad, with Javi Puado, Yangel Herrera and Oier Olazabal remaining on the sidelines through injuries.

Raul de Tomas will lead the line, after guiding them to promotion with 23 league goals last season, while former Barcelona winger Aleix Vidal also offers plenty of threat going forward.

Alaves' only absentees should be Pere Pons and Javi Lopez, with the pair continuing spells in the treatment room.

Joselu will continue to lead the line, after netting crucial tallies of 11 goals in each of the last two seasons, helping his side avoid relegation.

While Mamadou Sylla has tended to be deployed in the attacking line, John Guidetti will be keen to break back into the starting XI alongside Joselu.

Espanyol possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Gil, Gomez, Cabrera, Pedrosa; Morlanes, Darder, Melendo; Vidal, De Tomas, Embarba

Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Navarro, Miazga, Laguardia, Duarte; Martin, Pina, Roya, Mioja; Joselu, Guidetti


SM words green background

We say: Espanyol 1-1 Alaves

While we do not back them to win on away turf, we see Wednesday being the day that Alaves put their first point on the board.

Espanyol have not been convincing so far, and could struggle to put the visitors to the sword, leading us to believe that this will end level.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data



ID:464658:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10016:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Espanyol win with a probability of 56.41%. A draw had a probability of 25.3% and a win for Alaves had a probability of 18.3%.

The most likely scoreline for a Espanyol win was 1-0 with a probability of 15.09%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.86%) and 2-1 (9.15%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.64%), while for an Alaves win it was 0-1 (7.41%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 15.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Espanyol in this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Espanyol vs Alaves

Espanyol
63.3%
Draw
30.0%
Alaves
6.7%
90
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Getafe head coach Jose Bordalas pictured in August 2020
Read Next:
Friday's La Liga predictions including Valencia vs. Alaves
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leganes31168745202556
2ElcheElche3115883325853
3Espanyol311410748341452
4EibarEibar31157948341452
5Sporting GijonSporting Gijon31131083526949
6Burgos31147104038249
7Real Oviedo311212740271348
8Real ValladolidValladolid31146113530548
9Racing de SantanderRacing31138104944547
10Racing Club de FerrolRacing de Ferrol31121183836247
11Levante31101473635144
12Eldense31101293940-142
13TenerifeTenerife31118122830-241
14Huesca31813102522337
15Real ZaragozaZaragoza31910122829-137
16MirandesMirandes3199133744-736
17CartagenaCartagena3198143042-1235
18Albacete31710143646-1031
19Villarreal II3179152846-1830
20AlcorconAlcorcon3179152343-2030
21FC AndorraFC Andorra3178162439-1529
22Amorebieta3169162338-1527

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!