The RCDE Stadium will be the setting this Friday for a clash between two sides that need to pick up all three points to change the course of their season. Espanyol, sitting in eighth position, host an Elche side that props up the table and has yet to record a win in LaLiga. With both teams going through tricky recent form, this match could be an opportunity for one of them to snap their bad run.
How Espanyol come into the match
The Catalan side have 7 points from six matches played, the product of 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats, with a goal difference of +2 (9 goals for and 7 against). That tally puts them in eighth place in the table, in a mid-table zone that has yet to reveal whether the team will fight for something higher up or need to look over their shoulder.
In their last five matches, Espanyol have a record of 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats. They recently fell 1-2 to Rayo Vallecano away from home, though before that they had claimed a clear 2-0 win away at Osasuna. They also drew 1-1 at home against Sevilla and suffered defeats to Real Sociedad (1-2) and Real Madrid (1-2). It's an inconsistent team, alternating good results with stumbles, and they come into this match needing to win at home to consolidate their spot in the upper-mid part of the table.
How Elche come into the match
The picture is far more complicated for Elche, who sit bottom of LaLiga with just 2 points from six matchdays. Their record stands at 0 wins, 2 draws and 4 defeats, with a very negative goal difference of -8 (8 goals for, 16 against), the worst in the entire league among the teams listed.
The Ilicitano side's last five matches confirm that trend: 4 defeats and just 1 draw. They lost 2-3 at home to Real Madrid, drew 1-1 away against Athletic Club, lost 2-3 at home again against Real Sociedad, suffered another 2-3 defeat away at Racing Santander, and were thrashed 0-5 at their own stadium by Barcelona. Elche arrive at this match as the only team in the table yet to win a game this campaign.
The table and what's at stake
The top of LaLiga is led by Barcelona with 18 points and a perfect unbeaten record of 6 wins from 6 matches, followed by Real Madrid and Real Betis, both with 15 points. Further down, Atlético Madrid and Sevilla share fifth place with 13 points, while Alavés and Deportivo round out the mid-table with 10 and 9 points respectively.
For Espanyol, who sit eighth with 7 points, a win would allow them to move closer to that upper-mid zone and put some distance between themselves and the relegation places. For Elche, however, the match carries even greater significance: securing their first three points of the campaign would be crucial to begin climbing from the bottom of the table, where they currently sit 5 points behind Espanyol themselves and a considerable distance from the rest of the pack.
Our take
If we compare the recent performance of both teams, Espanyol are averaging 1.16 points per match so far this season, while Elche are managing just 0.33 points per game. That difference, combined with the fact that the Ilicitano side have failed to win in any of their six outings, leads us to believe Espanyol have solid grounds to make their home advantage count.
However, we think Espanyol themselves carry a degree of inconsistency, having lost three of their last five matches, which opens a window of opportunity for an Elche side that, despite the poor results, has shown the ability to pick up important points, such as the draw against Athletic Club. In our view, Elche's urgency to climb out of last place could translate into a more intense team from the opening whistle, though the emotional toll of going six matchdays without a win could also work against them.
Kick-off time and where to follow it
The match between Espanyol and Elche will be played on Friday, September 18, at the RCDE Stadium, with kick-off times as follows depending on the region: Spain, 21:00; Mexico City, 13:00; Bogotá and Lima, 14:00; New York and Miami, 15:00; Buenos Aires, 16:00; and Los Angeles, 12:00.
We invite you to follow every detail of this match, minute by minute, on Golazo Scores, your trusted source for not missing a moment of LaLiga action.
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