Espanyol vs Sevilla
After finishing at the middle of the table last season, Sevilla and Espanyol are looking to gain the upper hand by facing each other in the curtain-raiser of the La Liga.
The game will be held at the 40,000-seater RCDE Stadium, where the hosts are looking to change the status quo.
Their rivalry has been a one-sided affair for the most part, as Sevilla have won the most games against Espanyol overall in league history (69 games total, 19 on the road).
Both clubs come in with new managers. However, their respective offseasons are in stark contrasts with each other.
Sevilla saw the return of sports director Monchi and the appointment of Julen Lopetegui. And they didn’t waste any time in bringing in some key additions.
Espanyol, on the other hand, witnessed an exodus of their players – leaving new boss David Gallego a daunting task of replicating last season’s success.
SBOBET discusses on some notable tidbits on these two fine clubs ahead of their matchup.
Talking Points
Retooled Los Hispalenses
With Monchi and Lopetegui in the fold, Sevilla went all out in adding some new, young talent especially with some of their players leaving.
Wissam Ben Yedder was originally pegged as a breakout star in the upcoming La Liga. However, he has transferred to AS Monaco in the French Ligue 1.
Midfielder Pablo Sarabia also left for greener pastures as he joined Paris Saint-Germain via transfers, per La Liga 2019 news.
Rather than crying for spilled milk, Sevilla flexed its newfound wealth by bringing in the likes of Joan Jordan, Lucas Ocampos, Jules Kounde, and Sergio Regiuilon, among others.
The duo of Joan Jordan and Jules Kounde is something fans should look out for given their strong upside. Jordan’s elegant ball handling and passing will be a real asset on offence while Kounde is a very capable centre-back despite being a bit undersized.
Luuk de Jong and Munas Dabbur will compete for the spot out top while Lucas Ocampos will be an exciting addition at the wing for Lopetegui.
Sevilla sports director Monchi has always had the Midas touch in the transfer market. Their recent transactions suggest that a push for fourth place may be the main objective, and they look to have a deep squad that can keep up against the best teams in the La Liga.
Uncertainty continues to loom for Espanyol
Last term has been a roller coaster ride for Los Periquitos.
At the start of the season last year, Espanyol were brilliant mostly at home and they dashed to almost at the top of the table – with Borja Iglesias firing in goals left and right.
However, winter wasn’t too kind for them when they eventually sank to the bottom six – highlighted by a six-game losing streak in rounds 12 to 17. They managed to turn things around for the better by stringing some wins and draws towards the end.
Fast forward to the offseason, Espanyol lost the likes of Mario Hermoso and Marc Roca to Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively. The club is also in danger of losing Borja Iglesias as he was rumoured to be moving on to Real Betis. David Gallego could only pray that he could keep together a competitive team.
But good thing for them, they have viable, young prospects in Adria Pedrosa and Matias Vargas. The youngsters are versatile enough to play either as a winger or an attacking midfielder.
Espanyol’s La Liga 2019 odds of a mid-table finish seem very likely given they’ve overachieved last season. If Los Periquitos can manage to get a decent run both in the La Liga and in the Europa League group stages, they’ll be fine.
History
Sevilla and Espanyol have met 28 times total where the former scored 15 wins and the latter with seven. There have been six draws between them.
Los Periquitos’ previous victory against the Andalusians dates back to January 29, 2017 with a final tally of 3-1.
RCD Espanyol have won in their last six matches while the same cannot be said for Sevilla given their up-and-down journey during the offseason.
Betting Tip
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Espanyol vs Sevilla | Sevilla Asian Handicap +0.00 @1.74 |
| August 19, 01:00(GMT+8) |
Just like in their previous matchup, it’s hard to tell on who gets the clear-cut nod here.
Sevilla are favoured at 2.36 odds with RCD Espanyol at 3.00 and the draw at 3.15 – giving Sevilla a slight advantage here.
But everything will most likely depend on Borja Iglesia’s destination on whether he stays or go from RCD Espanyol. If he stays, a high-scoring draw (or even a victory) will remain a possibility.
Nonetheless, a safe bet here is for Sevilla to pull off a 2-1 win on the road.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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