We close the twentieth round in La Liga on Monday-evening with the meeting between Eibar and Espanyol in Ipurua. Both teams are in a form dip, but know that a victory is the best medicine.
Eibar:
Halfway through the season, the counter of Eibar stands at 22 points. Thus the Basques are on course to reach the magic limit of forty points, the number of points where you no longer have to fear degradation. Yet it is not just sweet smell and moonshine in Ipurua. This was the worst half of Eibar at the highest level ever, because in their four previous seasons in La Liga, Los Armeros always had at least four points in their pocket halfway through the league. In addition, Eibar has not won six league matches in a row and competitors such as Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano are starting to turn better and better, bringing the relegation zone closer and closer.
It is therefore high time to once again win a victory, so also midfielder Pape Diop knows: ‘Monday evening it has to happen!’ The Senegalese may be pleased that he plays at home on Monday-evening, because despite the poor form Eibar still performs well in his own Ipurua. The redblue are already unbeaten in eight official home games, including a nice 3-0 victory at Real Madrid. The last four home matches, however, all ended in a tie, causing the club to drop further and further into the rankings.
Espanyol:
Espanyol is also in turbulent waters. The Catalans placed themselves for the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday-evening at the expense of Villarreal, but they have a hard time in La Liga with no less than seven defeats in the last eight rounds. Thanks to a strong start of the competition, the blues are still at a creditable eleventh place, but the differences in the right-hand row are very small. Just like Eibar, Espanyol thus longs for a victory.
However, the signs for a Catalan victory are not particularly favorable. The last time that Espanyol took home three points on foreign soil is already three months ago. In addition, Los Pericos are struggling with an injury wave – especially the central defense has been hit hard. David Lopez has to leave noises on Monday evening, while Mario Hermoso will probably not be there either. Trainer Rubi will therefore appeal to permanent reserve Naldo and may be compelled to throw canterano Lluis Lopez in front of the lions.
The good news is that attacker Borja Iglesias is the fire brigade. This season, the striker scored eleven times in both the league and the cup tournament and hopes for an invitation for the Spanish national team. According to Marca, Everton from Marcel Brands was prepared last week to put his escape clause of 28 million euros on the table, but Iglesias felt nothing for a winter transition. It should be clear, however, that we will hear a lot from him in the future.
PREDICTION: Both teams to score / NO @ 1.86
