Villarreal hosts Espanyol in the first match of the 11th round of the Spanish championship. The match at the “La Ceramica“ stadium starts at 22:00 Bulgarian time. The hosts enter the match from sixth place with 14 points, while Espanyol is 18th with eight points and is in the relegation zone.
Villarreal won its last match in La Liga with 2:1 against Valencia, and a few days later eliminated Manacor for the King's Cup after 5:0. However, the team has only one victory in its four home matches in the championship this season. This is precisely the emphasis that coach Inigo Perez placed before the match.
„The key moment is to stabilize at home“, said Inigo Perez.The Villarreal coach expects his team to use their good form from recent matches, but warned that the opponent will be motivated by the atmosphere around the club. The home team will not include the suspended Pape Gueye and the injured Ilias Ahomash and Nathan Saliba. Carlos Romero returns after a muscle injury. Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikoutadze are expected to be among the starters again.
Espanyol starts the match with a temporary coach
The guests arrive after a difficult week. Espanyol lost 2-1 to Racing Santander in their last league match, and then were eliminated by Sestao River 3-4 after extra time in the Copa del Rey. The team is without a win in five consecutive La Liga matches and has only earned one point in that period.
After the Copa del Rey elimination, Manolo González was dismissed from his position. The club appointed Eder Sarabia as his replacement with a contract until June 30, 2028, but the new coach will start work after the away match at Villarreal. At “La Ceramica“ Espanyol will be temporarily led by Sergio García, who has been in charge of the second team until now.
“I am convinced that we can win. We have great players and I hope we get the best out of them“, said Sergio Garcia.Due to the fatigue accumulated after the 120 minutes against Sestao River, there have been changes in the Espanyol squad. Quique Garcia and Jofre Carreras are out of the group due to injuries, while Alex Calatrava and Urco González de Zarate will also not participate. The squad includes several players from the reserve team, including 19-year-olds Yann Perier and Alejandro Santiago.
What's next for both teams
After the match, Villarreal will host Getafe on November 8 in the 12th round of La Liga. Espanyol will host Deportivo on November 7, when Eder Sarabia is expected to make his debut in charge of the first team.
Sources: as.com