The La Liga Round 20 match between Espanyol and Girona will take place on 16 January at the Cornellà-El Prat stadium in Barcelona. Espanyol vs Girona: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Espanyol
Espanyol have yet to win in 2026. Until recently the club recorded its best winning run in the Primera in the 21st century, going five games without dropping points, but now Espanyol have taken just 1 point from the past two rounds. After the painful derby defeat to Barcelona the club failed to beat Levante from the relegation zone (1:1). Note that the team coached by Manolo González has conceded in three consecutive league matches, although earlier in this competition the side kept three consecutive clean sheets. The home side remain in fifth place in the table, the gap to fourth has been reduced to 4 points, and now there is no longer a game in hand.
- No more than 2 goals were scored in 5 of the club's last 6 La Liga matches.
- The team have avoided defeat in 6 of their 7 previous Primera meetings (5 wins, 1 draw).
- Espanyol's uncompromising home run in this competition lasts 6 matches (3 wins, 3 defeats).
Potential Espanyol Lineup (4-4-2)*
Marko Dmitrović – Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Romero, Omar El-Hilali – Urko González, Jofre Carreras, Edu Expósito, Tayris Dolan – Pere Milla, Kike García.
Midfielder Pol Lozano may return to the squad after suspension.
Girona
Girona have notably improved their league position in recent weeks. In the last league game Girona narrowly beat Osasuna (1:0); that victory was the second in a row and the third in four recent La Liga matches. For comparison, before that the team won only 2 of the first 15 matches of the current Primera season. Now Girona have not only left the relegation zone but have risen to 13th in the table. On points the visitors are already closer to 8th place than to 18th. At the same time Girona remain the most unreliable club in La Liga, having conceded 34 goals in the current campaign.
- The Catalans scored in 10 of their last 12 league meetings.
- Girona's uncompromising run in the Primera has reached 5 games (3 wins, 2 defeats).
- The club have failed to keep a clean sheet in 10 away matches in this competition.
Potential Girona Lineup (4-5-1)*
Paulo Gazzaniga – Hugo Rincón, Daley Blind, Vitor Reis, Alex Moreno – Arnau Martínez, Iván Martín, Bryan Hill, Viktor Tsyhankov, Thomas Lemar – Vladyslav Vanat.
Midfielder Lass Kuruma is suspended. Injuries rule out goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martín, midfielders Azzedine Ounahi and Donny van de Beek, and forwards Abel Ruiz and Portu.
Espanyol vs Girona: Match Prediction
Espanyol have noticeably dropped off compared with the strong spell at the end of last year. In the first half of January the club picked up only 1 point from 2 La Liga games, and while the defeat to Barcelona can be called non-critical, the draw with a lacklustre Levante from the bottom of the table was an unnecessary slip. Now the hosts will face an uncomfortable opponent. Espanyol have not won in 5 consecutive Primera meetings between the sides (3 draws, 2 defeats). At home the side have not won at all, taking only 2 points from their previous 4 matches in this competition.
Girona are in form, currently producing their best spell of the season. Over the last 4 rounds the club have won 3 games – more than after the first 15 La Liga matches (2). Since the start of November the visitors have suffered only 2 defeats in 8 Primera games. The team left the relegation zone and created a comfortable gap, and now can think about a place in the top half of the table.
We think the visitors in their current form are capable of challenging the struggling Espanyol. The prediction is Girona with a handicap (+1).
Prediction: Girona (+1)
* For each team the starting lineup shown is from their previous match in this competition.
