Leganes Vs Espanyol Betting: Espanyol or Draw – 22 December 2019

Leganes Vs Espanyol

Sunday 22nd December 2019 – 11:00 Kick-Off
Spanish La Liga
Pick: Espanyol or Draw (Double Chance)
Odds: 3/4
Bookmaker: Betway
La Liga Betting at 22Bet

(All betting odds displayed were correct at the time of writing: 20th December 2019 at 17:55)

Preview: The first of Sunday’s La Liga offering is a basement battle between Leganes, in 19th, and Espanyol, in 20th. Both find themselves stranded five points from safety, which makes this a hugely important fixture in their respective quests to avoid the drop.

Leganes Vs Espanyol Live Stats & Betting Odds

Leganes Preview – Revival gathering pace under new regime?

A revival of sorts is underway in Leganes (19th – W2 D4 L11, GF12 GA28), whose Estadio Municipal de Butarque can only house around 12,000 spectators and has seen its team victorious on just two occasions all season in La Liga. Four points from the last six available has given this team fresh impetus, however, as it seeks to claw back the deficit between them and safety. Which has been reduced to five points after last week’s 1-1 draw at Alaves followed on the back of their 3-2 victory over Celta Vigo at home.

Things were looking rather grim under former manager Mauricio Pellegrino. The new man at the helm has hardly transformed them dramatically since taking charge in October, but what Aguirre has done is got this team competing again. Moreover, and perhaps equally as important to those supporters who endured some rather turgid football under the old regime, scoring goals again. It is now seven goals across their last six league fixtures, which is half their overall total amassed during the eleven previous encounters.

Some visible progress then, but particularly in terms of results. Even when they have lost lately – to Eibar (1-2), Barcelona (1-2) and Sevilla (1-0) – the margins have been slender. There is seemingly a togetherness to this side right now that simply wasn’t evident in the early throes of the campaign. This will certainly be needed in what is a huge fixture up next. Not least because they are playing a side in a similar predicament to themselves, but also because eminently winnable games, such as this, come at a premium when you’re at the bottom.

Espanyol Preview – More accomplished away from home?

Producing one of their best performances of the season last time out against Real Betis, it must have disheartening for bottom of the table Espanyol (20th – W2 D4 L11, GF12 GA32) to have only taken a point from an encounter that, according to Expected Goals, should have resulted in a winning outcome. Creating chances amassing to over 2xGF whilst restricting their opponents to less than 1xGF, it is understandable should some supporters be ruing their misfortune at the moment.

Last week’s 2-2 home draw with Real Betis only extended Espanyol’s winless run in the league seven (D2 L5), leaving them five points adrift of safety. It has been an admittedly tough bout of fixtures, though, and it doesn’t get much easier in the near future either, with locals Barcelona paying them a visit at the beginning of the New Year. Which makes this final match-up of 2019 even more significant, but arguably more so for the simple fact it is against a relegation rival.

However, their away form coming into this crunch clash is very poor, losing three such games on the spin at Athletic Bilbao (3-0), Atletico Madrid (3-1) and Real Madrid (2-0). All three were daunting fixtures, though, and in the more appealing away assignments this season, Espanyol have capitalised more often than not. There were  wins at Levante (0-1) and Eibar (1-2), draws at Alaves (0-0) and Celta Vigo (1-1), and only falling to defeat in Mallorca (2-0). In fact, eight of their ten points have come on the road (W2 D2 L4) having not won at all home all season.

Betting Summary

This is a hugely important fixture in the context of La Liga’s relegation picture. Both will be targeting maximum points, with both of the belief they can win this. Leganes (6/5 Boylesports) have the edge in terms of being hosts but also boasting superior form, with four points from the last two games providing them with some momentum. Espanyol (3/1 Unibet), though, have relied upon results earned away from home to keep them afloat thus far; their two wins – along eight of their ten points – have come in away fixtures.

Furthermore, Espanyol have invariably seized upon some of their more appealing away fixtures this season. So while Leganes should be favourites considering their mini-upturn in form and home advantage, I disagree with the fairly substantial discrepancy in the Match Odds bearing in mind that these two teams have performed as poorly as each other over the course of the term.

At almost Evens to avoid defeat, against an opponent that has won only twice all season, Espanyol are the selection. The 7/4 on the visitors Draw No Bet was also tempting.