Valencia vs Espanyol Predictions & Match Preview

Valencia vs Espanyol predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups ahead of this relegation showdown at Mestalla.

Valencia vs Espanyol Preview

It’s very much crunch-time now in the relegation battle in LaLiga and games don’t get much bigger than this one. While Espanyol did drop out of the top flight only a few seasons ago, these are two big clubs with long Primera Division histories and it would be disastrous for either to drop into the second tier this season.

Valencia thought they were all but over the line in terms of safety when they beat Real Madrid last weekend in a match overshadowed by the racist abuse suffered by Vini Junior. They played reasonably well in midweek too but couldn’t make the most of their opportunities and a 1-0 defeat at Mallorca, coupled with wins for a number of other struggling teams, means they are only two points above the relegation zone going into matchday 37.

They’d very much like to avoid being in a situation where they could still go down on the final weekend when they travel to Betis. A draw here would guarantee that they finish above their opponents but it wouldn’t necessarily guarantee their safety altogether in a season where it may take more than their current tally of 40 points to stay up. It’s likely to be an afternoon where Ruben Baraja will have somebody watching events elsewhere in the Second Half as Valencia try to figure out whether they really need to target the win or not.

Espanyol are in far greater peril though. Things were looking utterly desperate for them in midweek as they collapsed for the second home game running to trail 3-0 against Atletico Madrid after just 46 minutes. As was the case against Barcelona though, there was a late rally and this time it was quite a spectacular one as Luis Garcia’s side surged forward and scored 3 times in 15 minutes to level the game.

They couldn’t quite find the winner though and while they should take belief from their performance in the final half hour at the RCDE Stadium on Wednesday, a quick glance at the league table still makes pretty dire reading for Espanyol fans. To stand a realistic chance of staying up, they surely need to win this game which would set things up nicely for their final fixture, another “must win” at home to fellow strugglers Almeria. Anything less than a win here though, could see them relegated on Sunday evening depending on results elsewhere.

Team News & Possible Lineups

Valencia

Possible XI: Mamardashvili – Gaya, Diakhaby, Gabriel, Correia – Almeida, Nico, Guerra – Lino, Cavani, Kluivert (4-3-3)

Coach: Ruben Baraja

Espanyol

Possible XI: Pacheco – Olivan, Cabrera, Montes, Calero, Vidal – Suarez, Darder, Melamed – Puado, Joselu (5-3-2)

Coach: Luis Garcia

Score Prediction: Valencia 1-1 Espanyol

We have at least seen a bit of life and a willingness to battle and fight for their lives from Espanyol in recent matches. It may have come too late to save them but there is quality in a side that has only failed to score in one league match in 2023. Much will depend on how the two teams handle the nerves of such a high pressure game but Valencia have also been competing well in recent home fixtures and should be capable of getting a point that would edge them closer to safety and one that could potentially guarantee safety on Sunday night.

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