The match of the 21st round of the La Liga between Valencia and RCD Espanyol will take place on 24 january at Mestalla Stadium. Valencia vs RCD Espanyol: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Valencia
In the previous round Valencia snatched a narrow but very important away victory over Getafe (1:0). The home side thus ended a 6-match winless run in the Primera (4 draws, 2 defeats). It is also worth noting that the club has now scored in 9 consecutive La Liga matches. At the same time Valencia kept a clean sheet for the first time in seven matches in this competition. The main outcome, however, is that Valencia moved out of the relegation zone, although the position in the table remains precarious, with the gap to 18th place only 1 point.
- At least 2 goals were scored in 9 of Valencia’s last 10 home league matches.
- The team’s unbeaten run at home in this competition lasts 5 matches (1 win, 4 draws).
- The club has failed to score more than 1 goal in 14 consecutive Primera meetings.
Potential Valencia Lineup (4-4-2)*
Stole Dimitrievski – Dimitri Foulquier, César Tárrega, José Manuel Copete, José Luis Gayà – Filip Ugrinić, Pepelu, Arnaut Danjuma, Luis Rioja – Lucas Beltrán, Hugo Duro.
Goalkeeper Christian Rivero and defender José Luis Gayà are suspended. Goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, as well as defenders César Tárrega, Thierry Correia and Mouctar Diakhaby, are unavailable due to injury.
RCD Espanyol
After an excellent end to 2025 the club has suffered a noticeable dip. In November and December RCD Espanyol registered five consecutive La Liga wins, setting a new club record in the 21st century, but the visitors have now gone three league matches without victory. In those three games the team collected just 1 point and managed a single goal against Levante from the relegation zone. As a result, RCD Espanyol still sits in 5th place in the table, but is 7 points short of the Champions League places and the gap to the nearest chasers has been reduced to 2 points.
- The club remained unbeaten in 6 of its last 7 away league matches (4 wins, 2 draws).
- The visitors have scored in 6 consecutive away matches in this competition.
- No more than 2 goals were scored in 6 of RCD Espanyol’s last 7 La Liga matches.
Potential RCD Espanyol Lineup (4-5-1)*
Marko Dmitrović – Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Romero, Omar El Hilali – Urko González, Pau Lozano, Edu Expósito, Pere Milla, Tairis Dolan – Roberto Fernández.
Captain Javi Puado is unavailable due to injury. Defender Omar El Hilali is serving a suspension.
Referee
Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (Spain)
Matches – 11 (the La Liga, 2025/26);
Showed yellow/red cards (including second yellows) – 45;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Showed red cards – 2;
Fouls per match on average – 22;
Penalties – 36%.
Valencia vs RCD Espanyol: Match Prediction
The meeting features two sides that clearly lack balance. Both teams regularly penetrate opposing defences but also often make defensive mistakes, and those lapses lead to conceded goals. As a result, goals were exchanged in 6 of Valencia’s last 7 La Liga matches. The same outcome was recorded in 4 of the club’s last 5 home Primera matches.
If we look at RCD Espanyol’s scoring, the team found the net in 6 of its last 8 league meetings. There was a period when the visitors improved defensively, but after a run of three clean-sheet wins in November and December they have now failed to keep a clean sheet in four consecutive La Liga matches.
It is worth adding that both teams scored in each of the last 7 head-to-head La Liga meetings between Valencia and RCD Espanyol.
Prediction: Both Teams To Score
* For each team the starting lineup from its previous match in this tournament is shown.