Espanyol vs Getafe Predictions

Getafe drew a blank at home to Osasuna in a 0-0 stalemate before the international break; however last season’s 5^th placed side have been moving nicely into contention over the past month or so with 13 points accrued from their last six games. Pepe Bordalas’ charges take on an Espanyol side this weekend who have lost all six of their home matches this term, and we think the in-form visitors are well priced to inflict further pain upon Periquitos at RCDE Stadium.

Espanyol have enjoyed plenty of success against Getafe in recent seasons with three wins and a draw from the last four encounters between the teams in Barcelona; however we expect the tide to turn this weekend based on how Pablo Machin’s men have performed in the league at RCDE Stadium this term.

A 1-2 reverse against Valencia on Matchday 12 marked Espanyol’s sixth La Liga home defeat from six outings this season – a truly dismal run which has left Periquitos firmly entrenched in the relegation zone.

Espanyol have just eight points on the board and are five adrift of the safety line going into this weekend’s fixture, and already boss Pablo Machin is feeling the heat after replacing David Gallego a few weeks ago.

The only bright spark for Espanyol this season has been their Europa League form – a stark contrast to their domestic showings with ten points gained from their four games so far. Periquitos are all but through to the last 32 of that competition, but success on the continent is coming at a serious cost for the Barcelona based outfit who performed so admirably to finish 7^th in 2018/19.

They take on one of La Liga’s most in-form sides this Sunday in the shape of Getafe, who, unlike Espanyol, look fully on course to at least repeat what they achieved in the league last season.

Getafe punched well above their weight to secure 5^th last term and only narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. They had a sticky start to the new campaign with just one win landed in their first seven games; however they have gone from strength to strength since the end of September.

Pepe Bordalas’ men have bagged away wins against Real Sociedad (1-2) and Celta Vigo (0-1) in recent weeks and have also secured cosy home victories against Leganes (2-0) and Granada (3-1) to lift themselves into 7^th. They are seemingly getting the balance right between La Liga and Europa League commitments (on course to just do enough to qualify from Group C with two games remaining) and go into this Sunday’s clash in excellent shape overall.

It’s difficult to understand how Espanyol can even dispute favouritism for this fixture based on their home record and the fact they have lost six of their last seven La Liga games overall, so we’re backing Getafe to seal the points this Sunday with a straightforward win at RCDE Stadium.

The hosts have failed to score in four of their six home games conceding at a rate of just over two goals per fixture, whilst three of the visitors’ five victories this term have been by a two goal margin. Considering the difference between these teams in the league table, we think Getafe should secure a win here by another comfortable margin, so 0-2 is our correct score prediction.