Atl. Madrid – Espanyol Prediction & Picks (06.05.2018)

Atlético Madrid and Espanyol meet at La Peineta Stadium, in a match for the 36 th round of the First Division. In the last direct confrontation for this edition of the league, on 12-12-2017, Espanyol won at home against (1-0). The history of recent direct matches is favorable to the home team, which records 4 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in the last 7 matches. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since both teams present considerable differences in the results achieved at home and as a visitor.

Atlético Madrid:

The home team is currently in the 2 nd position, with 75 points won, after 22 wins, 9 draws and 4 losses. In the penultimate match, they tied in a home match against Real Betis, by (0-0). In the last match, they won in an away match against Deportivo Alavés, by (0-1). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 7 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses in away matches; against 12 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss at their stadium. In their last match, for the UEFA Europa League, they got a home win against Arsenal by (1-0).

For this competition, he does not lose in his stadium 17 games ago. In their home matches there are a few frequent results at half-time: 0-0 (9 out of 17 matches) and 1-0 (6 out of 17 matches). Their attack has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches for this competition there is a tendency for few goals, since 12 of the last 17 matches have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 35 matches in this competition, they only got 1 comeback in the 6 games in which they suffered the first goal. There is 1 period that stands out in the last 17 home matches for this competition: they scored 11 of their 28 goals between minutes (61′-75 ‘).

Atlético de Madrid start for this match with a home victory over Arsenal 1-0, thus advancing for the final of the Europa League. We remember that he beat Alavés in the last match in the Spanish championship. Without great surprises, the coach Diego Simeone must act in the usual tactical system, that is, the 4-4-2, privileging possession of the ball and organized attacks. Antoine Griezmann is the great star of this formation, with 19 goals scored. One of the strengths of Atlético de Madrid is still the defensive sector, since it suffered an average of 0.24 goals per game in its stadium. For this game the coach can not count on Diego Costa and Angel Correa, suspended, in addition to Juanfran, this by injury.

Espanyol:

After 9 wins, 13 draws and 13 losses, the away team is currently in the 16 th position of the league, with 40 points won. In the penultimate match, they won in an away match against Girona, by (0-2). In the last match, they tied in a home match against Las Palmas, by (1-1). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 3 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses in away matches; against 6 victories, 5 draws and 4 defeats in his stadium. For the championship, Espanyol won 10 points out of 30 possible, after 2 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses in the last 10 matches as a visitor. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition, so it was not very strong defensively. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 11 of the last 17 matches for this competition have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 35 matches in this tournament, they have conceded the first goal 18 times and have only won 1 comeback.

Espanyol comes to this game with a tie to a ball against Las Palmas, adding in this way the following encounter without losing in this competition. Despite the season has not been very positive, the Catalan team is not at risk of decline. In this away game, coach David Gallego must act with a defensive strategy, looking for a counterattack to exploit the back of the opponent’s defense. It is important to underline that the visitors present several weaknesses in both sectors when playing in this condition, as they scored on average 0.76 goals and suffered 1.53 goals per game. However, Gerard Moreno is the best scorer of Espanyol, with 15 goals scored. Oscar Duarte, Diego López and Pablo Piatti continue from outside due to injury.