Villarreal take on the visitors Espanyol in the round 23 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Monday, February 9th at Estadio de la Ceramica (Villarreal).
Villarreal endured a disastrous season before last, but right at the lowest point Marcelino returned to the head coach position. He failed to immediately secure a return to European competition, yet in the following full campaign under his guidance Villarreal confidently established themselves in the top five. That earned them a place in the Champions League, where things went badly. The Spaniards lost almost all of their matches and ended up among the weakest teams in the tournament overall. Even in the Copa del Rey they were knocked out by Racing as early as mid-December. All of this, however, is compensated by La Liga, where in the first half of the season Villarreal were even outperforming Atletico. Still, a downturn has recently emerged here as well. After a couple of draws, they managed at least to take a point against Osasuna, although that side is currently fighting for survival. Recent league form shows a noticeable drop in consistency, especially in matches where Villarreal were expected to dominate. Even so, at home they continue to look competitive and usually respond well after setbacks.
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Espanyol hope to hold their ground. The Parakeets, despite their ambitions, have often found themselves in the Segunda in recent years. Manolo Gonzalez took charge there and brought them back to La Liga at the first attempt, though not without problems, via the play-offs. Yes, they stayed up afterward, but in the previous highly competitive season they finished only a couple of points ahead of relegated Leganes, 42 to 40. This time, however, they completed the first half of the campaign confidently among the contenders for European places. But in January, after the break, following a draw with Levante, they lost not only to Barcelona but also to Girona and Valencia. The same pattern repeated in the last match against Alaves at home, ending in another setback, 1–2. Their recent run suggests a clear loss of momentum after a strong start to the season. Away from home, results have become especially shaky, making it harder to protect their league position.
The 2–0 win in November, achieved by the Submariners away from home, was already their sixth consecutive victory in head-to-head meetings against this Barcelona-based opponent. Here the question is not who is stronger, but who is weaker. Against the current visitors, Villarreal should cope at home — the pick is a home win for the Submariners.
Prediction for the match: Villarreal to win.
