Espanyol vs Almeria

January 24, 2015
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Buoyed by the impressive Copa del Rey triumph over high-flying Sevilla, Espanyol will be feeling confident ahead of the league clash against relegation-threatened Almeria. Los Rojiblancos are on a three-match losing run, but they take can confidence from the fact they have already shocked quite a few sides on the road this season.

Excellent Copa del Rey run

Espanyol haven’t enjoyed too much success in Spanish La Liga over the years, and they have become quite predictable, finishing almost every single campaign in the middle of the standings. Club fans are hoping los Periquitos will soon be able to enter the chase for European positions, and it appears they finally have something to look forward to. And while the club will almost certainly miss out on a top 6 finish in the league, they might just be able to achieve European qualification through Copa del Rey. Espanyol have been absolutely brilliant in the competition this term, eliminating Deportivo Alaves and Valencia to earn a quarter-final clash with in-form Sevilla. And while many pundits suggested that would be the end of the road for Sergio’s charges, los Periquitos produced a stunning performance in midweek and were unfortunate to concede in injury time, but still take a two-goal lead into the return leg. Excellent showings against Valencia and Sevilla as well as the 1-0 league triumph over Celta will give the hosts plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the match with struggling Almeria, so fourth straight win could be on the cards.

Defender Arbilla is banned, but Kiko Casilla, Lucas Vazquez, Hector Moreno and Salva Sevilla will be recalled.

Still winless at home

Almeria produced quite a coup by avoiding the drop last term, taking ten points from last four fixtures to finish one point above the bottom three, but the club chiefs have only themselves to blame for another disappointing campaign. Namely, los Rojiblancos stayed without a number of key players in the summer, with Vidal, Suso, Rodri and Torsiglieri all leaving, while they clearly failed to sign proper replacements. As a result, Almeria could pick up mere 16 points from 19 league fixtures and they face an uphill task in trying to escape relegation. Team’s home form has been shocking this season, as they could only take three points from nine home games, and it is several good performances on the road that helped los Rojiblancos keep up with their relegation rivals. However, Almeria appear to be going through a very rough patch at the moment, having lost last three matches in all competitions, and I, therefore, seriously doubt they can stop in-form Espanyol in their tracks.

Coach Juan Ignacio Martinez has no fresh selection worries, but Quique Gonzalez and Ruben Martinez remain on the sidelines.

Verdict

Having won last three matches in style, Espanyol should be able to extend the winning run against weak Almeria, with big home win also a possibility. Los Rojiblancos have produced some good showings on the road, but they are clearly out of form at the moment and unlikely to get anything from Power8 Stadium.

Top pick: Home win   1.80 (4/5) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Espanyol/Espanyol   2.88 (17/9) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Both teams to score   2.10 (11/10) @ Ladbrokes

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