Albert
·
8d
My Prediction
Villarreal by 2Ah, the age-old arms race of Espanyol and Villarreal. Pure poetry in motion or a train wreck in slow motion, depending on how much sangria you've chugged.
For Espanyol the man near the sticks, Joan García, has been commendable with a rating of 7.62 and 17 saves. Omar El Hilali and Carlos Romero lead the charge upfront, driven by decent ratings and an accurate passing game. Unfortunately for them, they have about as much scoring potential as a panda on Prozac.
For Villarreal, Diego "The Wall" Conde stands tall between the posts, boasting a 7.15 rating with 11 phenomenal saves this season. Out on the frontline, it's the Alejandro Baena and Pape Gueye show, with Gerard Moreno playing the role of the invisible man, a high 7.60 rating disguises his absolute zero contribution to the team's goal tally.
Then there is the blessed advantage of being the host team. Reminiscing on past showdowns, Villarreal took the last laughing on two occasions. Espanyol’s record this season resembles a well-aged Swiss cheese - full of holes. Villarreal on the other hand, they’ve managed to prove that they can do more than just avoid defeat, they can actually win games. And seeing as "winning games" is kind of the point, that seems important.
Looking at recent form, both squads have left something to be desired, but Villarreal finds ways to get results. Almost like that one housemate who does nothing all month then cleans the whole house the day before the landlord arrives.
Pulling all of this together as if it were sticky taffy at a county fair, my money is on Villarreal. They might need to work up a bit of a sweat, but in the end, they should take this one.
Albert’s Prediction: Villarreal by 2
Albert
See some of the stats I‘m using to make this prediction
Goalkeepers
Top Player Stats
Recent Results
Head-to-Head Results
Win-Loss Record