Luis Torres
Dailysports's expert
On Saturday, May 24, at 18:30 Central European Time, Espanyol will host Las Palmas at home in the 38th round of the Spanish La Liga. Let’s take a look at a bet on team productivity in this showdown.
Espanyol
In their first season back in La Liga, Espanyol have found themselves in a precarious situation and now risk dropping straight back down to the second division after just a year. Espanyol currently sit 17th with 39 points, while Leganés are 18th with 37 points. If Espanyol drop points in this match and Leganés win, the Catalan side will be relegated.
Espanyol have only themselves to blame for this dangerous scenario, having produced dismal results in recent rounds: the team is winless in their last six matches, losing five in a row, and failing to score in the last two. This disastrous run has pushed the Barcelona club to the brink of relegation at the most decisive stage of the season.
In this situation, only a win will do for Espanyol. The only consolation is that their opponents, Las Palmas, have already been officially relegated to La Liga 2 and may not put up much resistance. Furthermore, Espanyol have a solid home record against Las Palmas: out of their last seven head-to-heads at home, Espanyol have won five and drawn two.
Las Palmas
Las Palmas are closing out the season having already secured their place in the second division. The team lost any hope of survival after a 0-1 home defeat to Leganés, following a similar 0-1 loss to Sevilla.
Currently, Las Palmas are 19th with 32 points. Their tally: 40 goals scored and 59 conceded in 37 rounds.
The final stretch of the season has been disastrous for the club: five straight defeats, four of which ended 0-1. Prior to that, Las Palmas had shown a glimmer of hope with back-to-back victories over Getafe and Atlético. At that point, it seemed they might still fight for survival. However, the subsequent losing streak sealed their fate.
Looking at recent head-to-heads with Espanyol, the stats are relatively even: three wins for Las Palmas, two losses, and one draw in the last six meetings. In the first half of this season, Las Palmas defeated the Catalans at home 1-0.
Interesting facts and head-to-head record
- Espanyol have lost their last 5 matches.
- Las Palmas have lost their last 5 matches.
- Las Palmas are unbeaten in 6 of their last 8 head-to-head matches against Espanyol.
Probable line-ups
- Espanyol: Garcia, El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero, Gonzalez, Lozano, Exposito, Roca, Fernandez Jaen, Puado.
- Las Palmas: Jorqash, Marmol, Herzog, Alex Suarez, Viti, Moleiro, Essugo, Luaodis, Marvin, McBurnie, Ramirez.
Espanyol vs Las Palmas match prediction
The clash with Las Palmas is Espanyol’s last chance to secure their La Liga status. The Barcelona outfit have backed themselves into a corner with a five-match losing streak, but survival is still possible in the final round. Only a win will suffice—preferably a convincing one, without having to rely on Leganés’ result. The scenario favors them: Las Palmas are already relegated and lack motivation to fight to the end. Despite a less-than-stellar head-to-head record, this is Espanyol’s game to dictate. An open contest is expected: both sides concede often, and Espanyol will need to push forward from the opening whistle. Most importantly, the hosts must not just attack but convert chances into goals. My bet for this match is over 2.5 goals at odds of 1.77.
