- Villarreal have won their last five games against Espanyol (last five head-to-head games).
- Villarreal are unbeaten in their last three home games (W2, D1).
- Espanyol have failed to win their last three away games against Villarreal.
Back the Yellow Submarine to edge out Espanyol
Villarreal CF, despite their patchy form, are a clear favorite at 1.54 ahead of Espanyol's 5.7 here and the draw at 4.1.
The visitors aren't in good enough form to warrant a bet on at that price, but they have been much better than their current 16th place in LaLiga 2026/2027 suggests, with eight points from nine games.
Espanyol are a point below El Submarino Amarillo, who have nine points from the same number of games, so the hosts do have a bit of breathing room to improve in the top half of the table.
Iñigo Pérez's men come into this game following a 3-1 home win over Napoli in the UEFA Champions League, a 0-0 draw with Elche in LaLiga and a 4-3 defeat away to Liverpool.
Espanyol are a shell at the back, so this should suit Villareal
It is a tactical matchup between two coaches. Espanyol's Manolo González, in charge since March 2024, is not going to blow up the 5-3-2 or 5-2-3 shell that his team usually form and neither is Pérez.
Espanyol will keep it simple in build-up and look to press high after turnovers. Villarreal, meanwhile, will try to impose their 4-3-3 and territorial game and, although neither team is in a great scoring vein at the moment, it is the hosts who can make the difference with their higher tempo and more effective pressing.
Villarreal should win this game and the odds support that view, although they are low enough to deter backing them in the three-way market.
A better angle could be Both Teams To Score - No at 2.2 as this looks more like a home job for Villarreal than a shock.
Stick with the home side
Roberto Fernandez has been Espanyol's main threat in front of goal in 2026/2027, netting six times in seven LaLiga fixtures, including three of his side's last four goals.
But Javi Hernandez has created more of the opportunities with four assists in seven appearances.
Villarreal have scored 1.5 goals and conceded 1.5 goals per game in their four LaLiga 2026/2027 home fixtures so far, so this could go the way of a Kings League shootout at Estadio de la Ceramica, Spain.
They have the midfield punch to put away two goals with Pape Gueye, who has three goals in seven LaLiga 2026/2027 games, but Espanyol have conceded five goals in four road trips this term, so the home defence could be cracked.
