The Submarine play RCD Espanyol this Thursday at 7pm CEST after losing to the Catalan side’s biggest rivals in an exciting clash at La Cerámica
Just four days later, Villarreal have the chance to make up for the defeat against FC Barcelona last Sunday at the Estadio de la Cerámica, in which the good play of Marcelino’s side and the spectacle that took place on the pitch was not reflected in the scoreline, which was excessive (1-5).
Now, the Yellows want to put the slip-up against the Culés behind them and fight for a win in Barcelona against the other team from the city, RCD Espanyol. Espanyol, despite being newly promoted, have been strong at home at the start of the season, winning two of the three games they have played at the RCDE Stadium (3-2 against Alavés and 2-1 against Rayo Vallecano) and only Real Sociedad (0-1) have been able to taste victory.
The Catalan side have been better at home than away, where Manolo González’s men have taken one point out of a possible nine, although they have visited difficult grounds such as the Cívitas Metropolitano, where they secured an impressive point, and the Santiago Bernabéu, where they went ahead on the scoreboard.
With seven points from six games, RCD Espanyol remain in mid-table. They occupy 13th position in the table, three points above the relegation zone.
Win to be in the Champions League spots
Despite the slip-up against the leaders, Marcelino’s side have made an excellent start to the season. Three wins, two draws and just one defeat leave Villarreal in sixth place on 11 points. However, they have a game in hand on RCD Mallorca and Athletic Club, who have 11 and 13 points respectively.
A win at Barcelona would see Villarreal climb back into the UEFA Champions League places. It is a scenario that is particularly impressive after the first six games, which have seen them host FC Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid, as well as visit the always tricky Mestalla and Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadiums.
After a match with a lot of momentum and energy against Barça, Marcelino will have to decide whether or not to make many changes to his starting XI. And although he will not yet be able to count on the entire squad, players such as Raúl Albiol, Juan Bernat, Pape Gueye, Ilias Akhomach, Denis Suárez, Ramon Terrats and Thierno Barry are all waiting for their chance. All of them are guaranteed to be available for the game against the Catalan side.
In the Espanyol ranks, there is one young player who is well known at Villarreal CF. Academy graduate Carlos Romero has made the leap to the top flight on loan from Espanyol after two excellent seasons with Mini Submarine in the second division.
Good records for the Yellos at the RCDE Stadium
Villarreal CF have taken points on their last three visits to the RCDE Stadium, winning their last visit there. In the 2022/23 campaign, the Yellows won by the smallest of margins (0-1) with an own goal from Lecomte. The year before, the two sides played out a goalless draw. And in the 2019/20 campaign, Villarreal, coached by Javi Calleja, won 0-1 at the same venue thanks to a goal from Karl Toko Ekambi.
