Ludogorets vs Espanyol Predictions

Ludogorets secured a win and a clean sheet at the weekend when they beat Botev Plovdiv away 1-0, while Espanyol’s poor form in La Liga continued as the Spanish side lost 1-0 at home to Villarreal.

All of the stats suggest that Thursday’s clash is going to be a low-scoring affair and we’ve backed these two clubs to play out a goalless draw.

These two teams have never met before but the performances of the pair heading into Thursday match point towards a tight and tense affair between the pair, as under 2.5 goals have been scored in four of Ludogorets’ last six matches as well as in each of Espanyol’s last five matches.

The hosts have kept clean sheets in five of their last six matches and look very strong in defence, especially at home in front of their own fans, while Espanyol have failed to score in three of their last four matches which is why we believe a goalless draw is on the cards this Thursday.

The form of both teams over the last month or so also leads us to believe that a draw is the most likely result, as Ludogorets are unbeaten in their last six matches and Espanyol have only won one of their last six games. The visitors do play in a higher quality league than their hosts and have the better of the two squads on paper but haven’t been winning a lot of games of late which is why a draw is a more logical result for Thursday’s match.

Both teams have made unbeaten starts to the group stage of the Europa League this season and we can see the two teams maintaining that record courtesy of a goalless draw this week and both teams would probably be content if that were the case. Ludogorets are the form favourites and it’s hard to see the Bulgarians losing at home to an Espanyol side that are clearly out of form and struggling for goals.

We’re confident that under 2.5 goals will be produced in Thursday’s match and have predicted a final scoreline of 0-0. The hosts are playing very well right now and have an excellent defensive record, while their guests haven’t scored in three of their last four matches but do possess the stronger of the two squads and we believe the duo will cancel each other out on Thursday.