Villarreal vs Espanyol: preview, likely lineups and fantasy tips

We show the likely lineups and statistical data of interest for your preferred fantasy game.

We also take a bit of a punt and provide you with a captain, a striker, a wall and a risk for each of the teams.

Villarreal - Espanyol

Match date: 30/10-21:00

Villarreal CF

The Villarreal host the Espanyol after getting their feelings back with their agonising win at Mestalla and the comfortable cup rout against Manacor. The Yellow Submarine, who also left a good impression despite losing to Liverpool in the Champions League, need to start stringing wins together to move closer to the European spots. Opposite them will be an Espanyol in the middle of a crisis, sitting in the relegation places, knocked out of the Copa and with Eder Sarabia as the new coach after the sacking of Manolo González.

In the absences department, Íñigo Pérez will not be able to call on Pape Gueye, suspended after his sending off against Valencia, nor on the injured Ilias Akhomach and Nathan Saliba, who continue recovering from their muscle problems. The good news is the return of Carlos Romero and Nicolas Pépé, who came back with a goal in the cup and again offer an important attacking option. You also have to factor in the demanding schedule, with PSG waiting for them next Tuesday in Champions, although the need to pick up points in LaLiga suggests thinking about a competitive XI.

So, Gulácsi looks set to stay between the posts, with Freeman, Foyth and Renato Veiga as the main defensive references, while Sergi Cardona and Carlos Romero will fight it out at left-back. In midfield, Comesaña and Maciá are the main candidates to cover for the absence of Gueye, with Buchanan and Moleiro the favourites to take the wide roles. The biggest question marks are up front, where Gerard Moreno, Ayoze and Mikautadze are competing for the attacking spots, without ruling out that Pépé could have a role after his return.

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RCD Espanyol

Espanyol travel to La Cerámica immersed in a deep results crisis. The defeat against Racing (2-1) and the surprising cup elimination at the hands of Sestao River (4-3) have led to the sacking of Manolo González. The Pericos sit in the relegation places, on eight points, and head into the game with Sergio García as interim coach, waiting for Eder Sarabia to take charge from the bench once he completes his suspension.

As for personnel, Kike García and Jofre Carreras are the only confirmed absences, as Sergio García explained in the build-up. The rest of the squad is available, including Javi Puado, who continues to build up competitive rhythm after his serious injury. The coaching change brings some tactical uncertainty, although the interim boss has said he will try to introduce his own ideas with very little time to prepare.

So there are plenty of doubts about the XI for this matchday, but we think it won't differ much from the one used by Manolo before his sacking.

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