Espanyol – Villarreal

Espanyol host Villarreal in a crucial clash that could see the Catalans pull away from the relegation zone, sitting eighth with seven points from two wins, a draw and two defeats and a modest +3 goal difference. Villarreal, languishing in 18th place with just two points from two draws and two losses and a –2 goal difference, will be desperate to turn their fortunes around. The two sides have already met this season, with Espanyol holding the upper hand in the head‑to‑head tally. A win for the home side would cement their push for a top‑six finish, while a point for the visitors could be the first step toward climbing out of the bottom three.