Matchday 9 of La Liga between Oviedo and Espanyol will take place on October 17 at Estadio Carlos Tartiere. Oviedo vs. Espanyol: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Oviedo
The league newcomer is struggling at the lower end of the table, trying to avoid slipping back into the relegation zone. Before the international break, Oviedo suffered a defeat to Levante, marking their sixth loss in the first eight rounds of La Liga. This latest setback resulted in a managerial change: Veljko Paunović has been replaced by Luis Carrión, who previously held the position two seasons ago. Notably, Oviedo has yet to draw a match this season, and including the playoff matches, their uncompromising streak extends to 10 games (3 wins, 7 losses). The club is in 17th place in La Liga, only ahead of Girona on goal difference. Additionally, Oviedo has the lowest scoring record in La Liga, having netted just four goals in total.
- The team has not lost in 9 of their last 12 home games in La Liga, playoff matches, and Segunda (7 wins, 2 draws).
- The club has conceded in 12 of their last 13 games across these competitions.
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of Oviedo's last 8 matches in La Liga.
Projected Lineup for Oviedo (4-3-3)
Aaron Escandell – Rahim Alhassan, Eric Bailly, David Carmo, Lucas Ahijado – Santiago Colombatto, Leander Dendoncker, Alberto Reina – Josip Brekalo, Salomón Rondón, Haissem Hassan.
Midfielder Luka Ilić has served his suspension. Defender Álvaro Lemos is unavailable due to injury.
Espanyol
After an impressive start to the season, the team is experiencing a noticeable slump. Espanyol won 3 of their first 4 league matches, but Manolo González's side has failed to win in their last four games, earning just two points in this stretch. Their most recent La Liga match ended in a disappointing 1-2 loss to Betis, marking their second defeat of the season. Espanyol is currently in 9th place in the league table, which is a respectable position, although just a month ago, they were in 3rd place, trailing only Real Madrid and Barcelona.
- The club has scored in 7 of their last 9 matches in La Liga.
- Espanyol's away winless streak in this tournament stands at 7 matches (3 draws, 4 losses).
- The Catalans have won with a handicap (+1.5) in 8 of their last 9 games in La Liga.
Projected Lineup for Espanyol (4-2-3-1)
Marko Dmitrović – Clemens Riedel, Leandro Cabrera, Omar El Hilali, Carlos Romero – Edu Expósito, Pol Lozano – Tyrese Dolan, Javi Puado, Pere Milla – Roberto Fernández Jaén.
Main forward and team captain Javi Puado is injured.
Referee
Mateo Busquets (Spain)
Matches – 23 (La Liga, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 130;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.6;
Red cards shown – 7;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 26%.
Oviedo vs. Espanyol: Match Prediction
Oviedo has the lowest scoring rate in La Liga, but they are not entirely toothless in attack. The team finds opportunities to score in almost every game, often let down by poor finishing. Despite their misfortune, the club rarely fails to score at home. Oviedo has scored at least one goal in 12 of their last 14 home matches in La Liga, playoff matches, and Segunda. Additionally, the team has a new head coach, which could provide the players with a necessary boost.
Espanyol is not in the best form, and defensive errors have occurred regularly, even at the start of the season when the club picked up 10 points in 4 La Liga games. Manolo González's side has kept a clean sheet in only 2 of their last 8 league matches, conceding two goals in 5 of these 8 games. When it comes to away results, the team has kept only 1 clean sheet in their last 7 away La Liga matches.
It is likely that the hosts will manage to break through the opponent's problematic defense. Prediction – Oviedo Individual Total Over 0.5
* Each team's starting lineup is based on their previous match in this tournament.