Spanish League Saturday action begins with Espanyol (ESP) locking horns with Alavés (ALV) and Celta Vigo (CEV) hosting Villarreal (VIL).
ESP vs ALV
ESP, who is at bottom of the table, needs a few wins under their belt to avoid relegation. ALV, meanwhile, is 14th in the table and will be hoping for a top-half finish this season.
Rewind ⏪ (MatchDay 27)
Osasuna (OSA) beat ESP 1-0 to inflict the Catalan club their 15th defeat in the league this season. To make matters worse, goalkeeper Diego Lopez received a red card.
ALV managed to salvage a draw against Valencia (VAL) in their last match before the break. VAL took the lead in the first half, but Edgar Méndez fired home the equaliser for ALV.
Previous Meeting (2019-20 Spanish League)
25-Aug-2019: ALV 0⃣-0⃣ ESP
Top Goalscorer (2019-20 Spanish League)
Raúl de Tomás (ESP) – 4⃣ goals
Lucas Pérez (ALV) – 1⃣1⃣ goals
Top Assists (2019-20 Spanish League)
Matías Vargas & Jonathan Calleri (ESP) – 3⃣ assists
Lucas Pérez (ALV) – 5⃣ assists
Key Players
ESP: Leandro Cabrera (DEF), Javi López (DEF); Sergi Darder (MID), David López (MID); Raúl de Tomás (FWD)
ALV: Rubén Duarte (DEF), Víctor Laguardia (DEF); Edgar Méndez (MID), Víctor Camarasa (MID), Aleix Vidal (MID); Lucas Pérez (FWD)
Pick your ESP vs ALV playing 11
CEV vs VIL
CEV is just a point above the relegation zone in 17th place, while VIL is pushing for a European League berth and is ninth in the table.
Rewind ⏪ (MatchDay 27)
CEV grabbed an away point against Getafe (GEF) on matchday 27. The hosts, who were down ten men in the 83rd minute, failed to break a resolute CEV backline.
Despite taking the leading in the fifth minute, VIL suffered a shocking 2-1 home defeat against Leganes (LEG). Gerard Moreno scored the opener thanks to assistance from Santi Cazorla. But LEG produced an inspiring second-half performance to claim three crucial points.
Previous Meeting (2019-20 Spanish League)
24-Nov-2019: VIL 1⃣-3⃣ CEV
Top Goalscorer (2019-20 Spanish League)
Iago Aspas (CEV) – 9⃣ goals
Gerard Moreno (VIL) – 1⃣1⃣ goals
Top Assists (2019-20 Spanish League)
Denis Suárez & Lucas Olaza (CEV) – 3⃣ assists
Santi Cazorla (VIL) – 6⃣ assists