Important Facts
- Espanyol is in a deep crisis with only three points from nine league games in 2026; the pressure to win is enormous against bottom-of-the-table Oviedo, who are nine points adrift of safety.
- Despite the crisis in results, Espanyol’s offense remains dangerous: Kike García and left-back Carlos Romero both have five league goals, and the team has scored in each of its last five games.
- Espanyol’s biggest weakness is its defense; in 2026, the team has conceded goals in both halves of every game, which is why its goals have regularly not been enough to secure victories.
- Espanyol is also weakened in terms of personnel: midfielder Charles Pickel is suspended after his red card, Javi Puado is out long-term with a cruciate ligament rupture, and Edu Expósito is also expected to be unavailable.
- Oviedo are in poor form after their 3-0 defeat at Rayo; the heavy defeat, travel chaos due to fog, and several absences are increasing the pressure on Almada ahead of a key game in the relegation battle.
- The most notable betting option is both teams to score; Espanyol’s ongoing defensive problems come up against an Oviedo side that has scored in three consecutive direct encounters with Espanyol.
Nine games have been played in 2026, and Espanyol is still waiting for its first league win this calendar year. Manolo González’s team has picked up just three points from a possible 27 in that stretch, a slump that has eroded what was a fairly comfortable position in mid-table just a few weeks ago. Monday’s opponents at the RCDE Stadium are Real Oviedo, who are bottom of La Liga, nine points adrift of safety. Oviedo travels to Barcelona after suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano last week. Captain Dani Calvo publicly described the result as a collective failure in attitude. The journey home was made even more difficult by fog over Asturias, which forced the team to spend the night in Madrid, cutting into their already limited preparation time. Almada’s tenure is thus coming under noticeably greater scrutiny. In the last direct duel in October 2025, Espanyol won 2-0 in Asturias, at the time with a controlled performance that feels quite distant from today’s perspective. That victory came in the first half of the season, when results were much more reliable. The hosts will also be without Charles Pickel, who was sent off for complaining in the closing stages of last Sunday’s game against Elche, and there is also a question mark over Calero’s place in the starting line-up. Both coaches have publicly used the word “final” this week, albeit for very different reasons.
Espanyol needs the win to end its slump and protect its own goals, while Oviedo simply needs it to keep its realistic hopes of staying up alive. The betting market clearly sees Espanyol as the favorite, and that is entirely in line with the different starting positions, even if recent form only partially supports that.
- Venue: RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat
- Date and time: March 9, 2026, 9:00 p.m.
- Competition: La Liga (matchday 27)
Three factors stand out here. Kike García has not lost a league game this season in which he has scored, which gives the tip for a home win a solid foundation, especially at home against an unsettled bottom team. However, Espanyol’s defensive record dampens any hopes of a clean sheet: the team has conceded goals in both halves of each of its last five games, a real statistical outlier that makes both teams to score a compelling option, even against a struggling Oviedo attack. Oviedo has the worst goal difference in the league, a depleted squad, Ejaria is missing and Borbas is now also injured, and the clear defeat against Rayo is likely still weighing on their minds. It is understandable that the betting market is leaning heavily towards Espanyol with odds of around 1.85, but the real value in this match lies in the goal bets.
Espanyol form & record check
Last Sunday’s 2-2 draw in Elche pretty much sums up Espanyol’s 2026 in a nutshell. García gave his team an early lead, Romero equalized after the break, but the team couldn’t hold on, conceding a penalty in stoppage time to make it 2-2. On top of that, Pickel was sent off for complaining, so González goes into this game with already limited options in midfield. The extent of the defensive problems was most evident away from home. The 4-2 defeat at Atlético Madrid and the 4-1 defeat at Villarreal within three weeks were tough setbacks, and even at home, the 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo and the 2-1 defeat against Alavés at the beginning of January showed that the defense is shaky regardless of the venue. Espanyol has conceded goals in both halves of every game this calendar year. At least the offense has remained functional during this difficult phase. García and Romero have both scored five league goals this season, which is quite unusual for a left back, and Espanyol has scored in all five of its most recent games. The frustration is clear. The goals scored do not lead to victories because, on the other hand, goals conceded are almost as reliable. Edu Expósito is unlikely to feature, with Terrats likely to take his place in midfield. The probable central defensive line-up of Riedel, Cabrera, El Hilali, and Romero will need to be well organized from the first whistle, especially against an Oviedo side that will be looking to bounce back.
Winger Javi Puado is still out with a cruciate ligament injury and will not return this season.
Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1 with the predicted starting eleven: Dmitrovic (GK); El Hilali (RB), Riedel (RCB), Cabrera (LCB), Romero (LB); Urko González and Lozano as double sixes; Terrats in the central attacking midfield role as number 10 behind the striker; Dolan (RW) and Milla (LW) on the wings; Kike García leads the line as center forward. The preferred back four consists of El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, and Romero, but Calero could replace one of the center backs if he is fit in time. Puado is out long term with a cruciate ligament injury and will not be available. Urko González and Lozano form the defensive double pivot and provide balance and defensive stability. Terrats is likely to start in the more attacking midfield role after Expósito’s recent poor form. Dolan and Milla are expected to provide width and passes for Kike García, who is Espanyol’s most reliable attacking option this season and is likely to be a regular starter.
Oviedo Form & Record Check
The 3-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano last Wednesday was, as Almada himself admitted, the weakest performance of his tenure. His team looked physically drained, a consequence of this rescheduled game with little recovery time after losing at home to Atlético Madrid just four days earlier. De Frutos scored twice, Álvaro García completed the rout. Not a single Oviedo player performed to the expected standard. Off the pitch, the night became even more difficult. Fog shut down Asturias airport, the team spent the night in a hotel in Madrid, canceled a training session, and returned to Asturias with fewer days of preparation than would have been possible. Almada acknowledged that this disruption was a significant factor but was careful not to use it as an excuse for the performance itself. Before this slump, there were definitely phases where Oviedo showed what they are capable of. The 3-3 draw at Real Sociedad in February showed real attacking intent, and the 1-0 home win against Girona at the end of January is still their only league win since the turn of the year. The problem is consistency. Between these results, there were defeats against Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid, without a stable run of form emerging. The injury situation is worsening at a critical time. Ejaria is still out with a muscle problem, with no clear date for his return in sight, Borbas was injured in Vallecas, and Costas, Bailly, and Dendoncker are all working on their comebacks. Santi Cazorla, whose popularity among the Oviedo fans, even after a heavy away defeat, says a lot about his status at the club, is one of the few reliable sources of quality that Almada can rely on.
Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1. Predicted XI, from left to right: Escandell (GK); Ahijado, Calvo, Carmo, Javi López (defense); Sibo, Colombatto (double six); Hassan, Reina, Chaira (attacking midfield); Viñas (striker). Confirmed absence: Ejaria is out with a muscle injury, the length of his absence is uncertain. Almada could rotate or make changes with freshness in mind after admitting that the team looked physically drained in their last game against Rayo.
Espanyol – Oviedo Head-to-head & statistics
Espanyol has the narrower advantage overall, winning three of the last five encounters with Oviedo. However, one pattern has been consistent throughout every match in this series: there have been no draws. All five games ended with a winner, which is relevant context because both sides currently need a clear result rather than just a point. The most recent meeting was in October 2025, when Espanyol won 2-0 in Asturias in one of their more composed performances of the early season. Prior to that, both clubs were involved in one of the more dramatic promotion playoffs in recent Segunda División history in 2024. Oviedo won the first leg 1-0 at home, before Espanyol won the second leg 2-0 at the RCDE Stadium to secure promotion. Earlier in the same season, Espanyol had won 2-1 at home, but Oviedo beat them 2-0 at the Carlos Tartiere in December 2023, showing that the balance of power was by no means one-sided. Across all five encounters, the second half has been remarkably quiet, with neither team scoring more than one goal after the break in any of these games. All five games ended with fewer than three goals in total. Oviedo has scored in three consecutive head-to-head matches, suggesting that the team rarely fails to score against Espanyol. The hosts, on the other hand, have scored in four of their last five encounters and have mostly controlled the game well once they took the lead. History suggests a competitive but rather low-scoring game, probably with a close decision rather than a clear result.
