- Odds: Atletico Madrid are the 1.87 favorites to win against Espanyol's 3.8 and the Draw's 3.7.
- Recent form: Espanyol have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 5 matches in all competitions.
Ata have the edge, but Espanyol will make a contest of it
Odds and form
Atletico Madrid are the odds-on favorites against Espanyol at the time of writing, although there's enough of a gap between the teams to leave room for the draw at 3.7 and even Espanyol's 3.8. Los Colchoneros are certainly a tough side to oppose when they hit form and they look in great shape after 3 consecutive wins, however, the head-to-head between these two sides is level at 1 win apiece and 3 draws after the last 5 meetings.
Key players
- Javi Hernandez has been orchestrating the play for the hosts with 4 assists in 7 LaLiga appearances, while Alejandro Baena has given Atletico Madrid a real clinical edge in the final third with 4 LaLiga goals in 7 appearances.
- The addition of Jonathan David has also provided Atletico with a different sort of bite, the Canadian has scored 3 of their last 10 goals, so they have a good chance of breaking Espanyol down.
Standings and tactics
The Pericos are 11th in the LaLiga 2026/2027 with eight points from eight games, whereas Atletico are 2nd in the table with 16 points from seven matches. Manolo Gonzalez's Espanyol set up in a compact 4-2-3-1 that allows them to be negative and press in places, while Atletico are more structured in a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 but are ruthless in vertical transitions, which should make for an interesting game.
Espanyol’s last five results show their lack of momentum
Espanyol's recent results have been a 2-1 away defeat to Rayo Vallecano, 1-3 home loss to Elche and 1-1 away draw against Malaga. That's 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats in their last 5, hardly the sort of momentum you want when preparing to face a side as good as Atletico Madrid.
Oscar Fernandez has done a great job with Atletico since July 2021 and has had a real bite since the opening weeks of the new season.
Espanyol have a very good player in Roberto Fernandez, who's scored 6 goals in 7 games and 3 of their last 5.
Atletico won the reverse fixture 4-2 back in the spring, but have failed to win any of their last 3 away games at Espanyol. Over 2.5 goals at 1.8 looks like the sharpest play in this matchup, given Atletico's scoring rate on the road and Espanyol's defensive issues.
