Football
Las Palmas vs Espanyol Preview Tips, Odds and Prediction
With excitement building and anticipation growing ahead of kickoff, La Liga betting fans are already diving into the odds and assessing both teams, hoping to find the best value. For a detailed, in-depth look at the match, be sure to check out our full preview.
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Diego Martinez and Las Palmas welcome Manolo Gonzalez and RCD Espanyol to the Estadio Gran Canaria three days before Christmas Day.
Both newly-promoted teams are in the bottom half of the table, battling to get those all-important points. Las Palmas were promoted in 2022-23 and Espanyol came up last season.
On paper, it should be a close contest, but recent results may suggest otherwise, with one team hitting good form and the other struggling to score.
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Las Palmas Clear Favourites
Home: 3/4 (1.73) – 57,8%
Draw: 13/5 (3.87) – 23,8%
Away: 100/30 (4.58) – 23,3%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change
Head-to-Head Record
Last Five Meetings
26/07/23: Las Palmas 1-2 Espanyol
22/07/22: Espanyol 0-0 Las Palmas
21/07/21: Espanyol 0-1 Las Palmas
24/04/21: Espanyol 4-0 Las Palmas
03/01/21: Las Palmas 1-0 Espanyol
Las Palmas: Current Form – DWWWLW
At the time of writing, Las Palmas have only lost one in their last six matches. They won three on the spin – all scored at 2-1 – and that trio of triumphs included the shock away win at Barcelona, who are the current league leaders.
They have managed to pick up 13 from 18 points over their last six outings, which has lifted Diego Martinez’s side to 14th place.
Their recent form tells the complete story of their latest performances, which has seen plenty of positives. Creative sparks from Mika Marmol, Fabio Silva and Sandro has seen the team taking shots on goal, putting in plenty of crosses and ultimately creating chances to score goals and win games.
Key Players To Watch
- Sandro Ramirez – Now 29, Sandro Ramirez begun his professional football career at Barcelona. In 2017, he joined Everton, but was loaned out three times, only playing eight games in the Premiership. He has scored six in 13 games this season for Las Palmas, even opening the scoring against his old club, Barcelona.
- Fabio Silva – Portuguese player Silva is on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 22-year-old set a club record as the youngest debutant in the league at the age of 17 years and 22 days. He’s also the youngest league title winner in history, when he won the Primeira Liga just a few days shy of his 18th birthday.
- Mika Marmol – 23-year-old defender Mika Marmol is a solid, patient tackler with a good passing ability to play the ball out from the back.
Las Palmas Team News
Las Palmas 21-year-old playmaker, Alberto Moleiro, has been attracting interest from Premier League giants Arsenal, after four goals and one assist in 15 games this season. Reports suggest that the asking price is around £16 million-plus.
Adnan Januzaj is nursing a sprained ankle so will be sidelined for another few weeks, frustratingly playing just five matches in total so far this season, while on loan from Sevilla.
Sandro Ramirez, equalled the record of most clubs played for in the Spanish top-flight, at the start of 2023-24 season when he joined his eighth club, Las Palmas.
Espanyol: Current Form – DLLWLL
At the time of writing, the Catalan outfit have lost four from their last six and are sat third from bottom.
Espanyol were promoted last season after finishing fourth. As top-flight newcomers, they are inevitably struggling to get a foothold in such a competitive league. Their minus-13 goal difference is the second worst in the league, as too are their 28 goals against. Only bottom of the table, Valladolid, have a higher number of goals against and goal difference.
At the time of writing, Espanyol hadn’t scored in any of their last three games, and manager Manolo Gonzalez believes the issue is down to their finishing.
Key Players To Watch
- Alex Kral – Defensive midfielder, Kral, 26 from Slovakia, is on loan from Union Berlin. The Czech Republic international has been capped 43 times for his country.
- Jofre Carreras – Playmaker Jofre has popped up with three assists already this season. The 23-year-old right winger is a successful product of the club’s youth system, having joined 10 years ago in 2014.
- Javi Puado – 26-year-old forward, Javi, is the club’s leading goalscorer with five hitting the back of the net so far this season. The Barcelona-born baller is also an academy product, joining in the same year as Jofre. The club hero scored twice in last season’s play-off finals to secure promotion.
Espanyol Team News
21-year-old right-back, Omar El Hilali, has been attracting interest from Cesc Fabregas, the current manager of Italian team, Como. The Moroccan international has also been scouted by Brighton, too, and has a release clause of over £12 million.
Manager Manolo Gonzalez has the backing of the fans despite the unsuccessful start to the season, with the club stating his future is “not at risk”. However, their dire situation is unlikely to improve without any funds available during the January transfer window.
Predicted Line-Ups
Las Palmas: 4-2-3-1
Cillessen; Rozada, Suarez, McKenna, Marmol; Essugo, Rodriguez; Ramirez, Munoz, Moleiro; Silva.
Espanyol: 4-1-4-1
Garcia; El Hilali, Gomez, Cabrera, Olivan; Lozano; Carreras, Kral, Smith, Puado; Cardona.
Suggested Bets
If you love betting on football, here are some bets you can place at some of the popular sportsbooks.
Correct Score: Las Palmas to triumph 2-1 at home could be worth a punt. (7/1 with Betway) (15/2 with 1Win)
Match Winner & Both Teams to Score: Las Palmas to win and both teams to score is a sensible bet. (11/4 with Betway) (67/25 with 1Win)
Over 3.5 Goals: Four goals have been scored in three of their last five meetings. (49/20 with Betway) (61/10 with 1Win)
Value Bets
Sandro Ramirez – Anytime Goalscorer: Leading goalscorer Sandro to score anytime for Las Palmas is worth a punt.
Javi Puado – Anytime Goalscorer: As one of Espanyol’s top goalscorers, Puado could well pop up with a goal.
First Team to Score – Las Palmas: As the home team with a slightly better record and form, Las Palmas are likelier to take the lead.
Prediction: Las Palmas to Win
It’s a tale of two sides – one with four wins in six, the other with four losses.
The hosts have the form, momentum and home advantage, while the visitors are the underdogs, struggling to get started this season as the newcomers.
At the time of writing, Espanyol have lost 10 games from 16 this season, only bottom-placed Valladolid have lost more matches in the league.
They have only managed to win at home this season, failing to capture three points in any of their away games. They have scored 15 in 16, so are averaging less than a goal a game, although there have been five matches where they failed to find the net at all.
Due to their recent form, we predict Las Palmas to win 3-1.
Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.
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