Espanyol take on the visitors Oviedo in the round 27 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Monday, March 9th at RCDE Stadium (Cornella de Llobregat).
Espanyol are trying to regain their momentum. The Periquitos looked like one of the main surprises of this season. After all, the team had dropped to the Segunda Division once again not long before that. Even in the 2024/2025 campaign, when they returned to La Liga only through the playoffs, they showed rather modest results — though still enough to retain their place in the top flight. Back then they collected 42 points by the summer, while this time they had about ten fewer already by the winter break. Recently their performances have remained inconsistent, as wins have been rare and several matches have slipped away in the closing stages. Nevertheless, the team still manages to stay competitive in many games, even against stronger opponents. After the break they have struggled to regain high momentum — there have been many defeats along with only a couple of draws, against newcomer Levante, who are in the relegation zone, and Celta Vigo, who were preparing for the resumption of European competitions. After a 2–4 loss to Atletico Madrid, in the last round they managed only a draw with another out-of-form newcomer, Elche.
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Oviedo were a rather unremarkable team for a long time. Only in the season before last did this mid-table Segunda Division side suddenly finish sixth and reach the playoffs — where they lost to the Catalans, although they performed quite well. A year later they managed to win the playoff tournament. Still, such newcomers from the second division rarely impress. Their recent results have confirmed that they remain one of the weakest teams in the league, struggling to collect points consistently. Even so, they occasionally manage to surprise stronger opponents, which keeps them dangerous despite their position in the table. In this case they turned out to be a typical and very modest underdog. Coaching changes have not really helped, and it is clear they will likely have to return to a lower level. At the same time, even fairly strong clubs sometimes stumble against them. For example, they beat Girona at home and at the end of February played a 3–3 draw in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad. However, afterward they lost to both Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, failing to score in either match.
In the Segunda Division season before last the sides seemed evenly matched — two wins each in the regular season and the playoffs. However, the Periquitos were promoted that year and, facing the newcomer again in La Liga, defeated them 2–0 away in October. The Catalans are stronger and will be playing at home. Therefore, the basic pick is a victory for the Periquitos.
Prediction for the match: Espanyol to win.
