Espanyol vs Alaves
13th June 1300hrs
Football – Spain – La Liga
Pick Under 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 8/15 odds taken 2000 GMT, Thursday 11 June
The first weekend of actionin Spain since March starts with a focus on the bottom of the table. Espanyol are in desperate need of points as they welcome Alaves on Saturday.
Table of Contents
Espanyol Preview – Will Espanyol find a crucial win to kickstart their survival hopes?
Having qualified for the Europa League last season, it’s been a remarkable fall from grace for Espanyol this time around. They find themselves bottom of the table and six points from safety. With only four wins all season it’s no surprise they’re in the position they are. However, when you consider they reached the knockout stages in European competition it’s definitely well below what we would expect.
Former Barcelona defender Aberlardo – who enjoyed do much success with Alaves – has been in charge of the club since December of last year. He will be hoping to get one over his former club as Espanyol attempt to pull off something of a miracle.
Espanyol have shown improvement, particularly at home, under this coach but victories are still hard to come by. They are unbeaten in their last five matches at the RCDE Stadium but winning only one of them – a 1-0 success against Mallorca back in February.
Contrast that to their away form, where they have taken just a point from their last four games on the road, then you suspect that Saturday’s game is already encroaching into must-win territory.
Alaves Preview – Can Alaves get one over their former coach and inflict more misery on their hosts?
Whilst not to the same level if disappointment as their weekend opponents, Alaves are another team who have struggled to find any real consistency this season. 11th placed finishers last term, they are currently 14th and seven points above the bottom three. That, of course, means there is still work to do but their situation is not as dire.
The period directly before the COVID-enforced break was actually one of their better runs this season. One defeat in six matches where they have won twice has given them some breathing space on the teams below them. Coach Asier Garitano will be hoping his team can pick up where they left off.
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For a team who do not score many goals, Alaves actually have one of the best striking partnerships in La Liga. Lucas Perez and Joselu have combined to score 20 of their 29 goals thus far – indicating just how crucial this duo are to their hopes of staying clear of relegation.
Alaves still average less than one goal away from home and barely above one goal per game overall. They’ve also just managed two victories from their 13 away games so far.
Espanyol vs Alaves Betting Advice
It may be the first game in three months for these teams but there will be no chance to get up to speed, particularly for the home team. Espanyol need points if they are to survive and whilst there has been improvement of late, it’s still just one home victory all season.
Alaves may not be the best of travellers but they have conceded no more than one goal in any of their last four away games in La Liga. They will also want to inflict more misery on their former coach, despite Aberlardo being successful when there.
Key Facts – Espanyol vs Alaves Betting Tip
- Espanyol sit bottom of the table and are six points from safety
- Alaves are seven points clear of the bottom three but have won only two away games all season
- Nine of the last 11 meetings between these teams have finished with just two or fewer goals scored
It was a goalless draw when the sides met at the end of August, earlier this season but it tends to be a fixture that goes the way of the home side. Indeed, there has been just one away victory in the last eight meetings.
It’s also a fixture which doesn’t produce a lot of goals with nine of the last 11 meetings going under 2.5 goals. Rather than predict an outcome in terms of the result with so many unknowns, I prefer going with under 2.5 goals as the selection.
The best betting odds for Espanyol vs Alaves
Espanyol to win: 11/10 at Ladbrokes
Draw: 2/1 at Ladbrokes
Alaves to win: 14/5 at Ladbrokes
