Espanyol vs Eibar
Spanish La Liga
Date: Saturday, 22nd October 2016,
Kick-Off at 12:00 UK
Venue: Estadi Cornella-El Prat, Barcelona.
Espanyol is currently on a three-game winless spell as the team also had won only once in the first eight rounds of Spanish top flight competitions. With their current rut, the team has dropped to the 17th place in the overall standings.
The team would have been in the bottom three relegation area if not for their higher goal difference than Sporting Gijon's.
Los Periquitos is coming off a 0-0 draw with contending squad Las Palmas on the road at the Estadio Gran Canaria on Oct. 14, Friday for their second straight drawn match, as per USA Today.
Head coach Quique Flores's side was impressive during the match, especially their defense as they prevented Los Amarillos from scoring any goals right at their home field.
Las Palmas midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng had the game's best two chances, but Espanyol goalkeeper Diego Lopez was able to save both of them.
Meanwhile, Eibar dropped an embarrassing 2-3 game to bottom three club CA Osasuna right at their own home stadium of Estadio Municipal de Ipurua on Monday, ESPN reported.
Eibar broke the deadlock just 19 seconds into the game with a right-footed shot from Argentine midfielder Gonzalo Escalante.
However, two straight goals from Osasuna, both courtesy of Spanish striker Sergio León in the 29th and 32nd minutes, gave the visitors a 2-1 lead.
Los Armeros was able to find the equalizer in the 45th with a header from forward Sergi Enrich off a Bebe cross, keeping the game tied at the break.
Head coach José Luis Mendilibar's boys were not able to hold on to the tie or score the winning goal as they conceded one in the 58th minute with a left-footed strike by Osasuna midfielder Roberto Torres.
It was the first win for the newly-promoted squad in the season while it was the second consecutive winless effort for Eibar.
Espanyol vs Eibar: Head-to-Head Stats
There is little to separate between these two teams as both Espanyol and Eibar share 2 wins each from their last 4 Spanish League encounters.
The two La Liga fixtures of the last season was won by the respective home teams. Espanyol won theirs on a 4-2 margin, while Eibar won 2-1 in their home leg. While the two fixtures of the season before this was won by away team.
Espanyol vs Eibar: Prediction
Espanyol are a desperate team in search for a win when they set out against Eibar on matchday 9 of the Spanish League 2016/17 season. They key problem to address is their goal drought.
But Eibar are a confident side after the brilliant start to the season. And they have scored in every game this season, let it be at home or away. At the same time they have also conceded in 6 of the 8 matches this season.
The previous encounters against Espanyol have seen a higher number of goals. But Espanyol are in a struggle to put the ball in the back of the net. As a result, it will be a good choice to back Eibar to get at least a point from this fixture.
Espanyol vs Eibar: Betting Tips
Double Chance – Draw/Eibar at 1.83 (5/6)
Over 2.5 goals at 2.15 (23/20).
