Can Espanyol finally score their first goal?
The international break is over, it’s back to football in Spain’s top flight. On Sunday afternoon at the rather unusual time of 2 pm, champions Atlético Madrid will be in Barcelona – but not at FC Barcelona, but at their small city neighbours Espanyol.
The promoted team will be expecting something on Sunday, even though Atlético are still unbeaten in their three league games. But the Spanish champions have not really been convincing.
If we look at the odds for the match between Espanyol Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, we quickly discover lucrative offers for an away win for the favourites.
This is certainly due to the (playfully) unconvincing start of the season of the Rojiblancos.
Another reason why betting on an away win for Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid brings an interesting average of 1.95 is the fact that the promoted Barcelona side has only conceded one goal in three games this season.
The Pericos’ defence has been surprisingly solid so far – will Luis Suarez and Co. be able to break their backs on Sunday?
Spain Espanyol – Statistics & current form
0:0, 0:0, 0:1 – these are the three results of the newly promoted team so far. Against Osasuna and Villarreal, Espanyol were able to live with a zero, but then suffered their first defeat at fellow promoted team Mallorca. Only one goal conceded and two draws from three games – that makes them 16th in the table, which is not too bad.
But the fact that Espanyol have not yet managed to score a single goal is of course very disappointing. The “Pericos” are the only team in La Liga still waiting for their first goal of the new season
Villarreal FC, for example, also failed to score a goal after two games, and then managed two goals against Atletico Madrid. Can Espanyol also score against the champions for the first time?
Lucrative odds on Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid
For those who believe that the promoted team will score, Bwin offers odds of 1.62 on Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid. However, it is much more lucrative to bet on Espanyol not scoring again – Bwin offers odds of 2.15 on this. For those who are not yet Bwin customers, we recommend the Bwin Cashback Bonus up to 100 euros.
The bookmakers therefore expect a close and exciting match with rather few goals – understandably. Before the game Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid, a look at other tips brings interesting odds: For example, if you go for Both to Score – Yes or for Over 2.5 goals, i.e. against the trend. A fairly normal 2-1 away win for Atlético would already ensure that these bets arrive – with odds of over 2.00 in each case, they are certainly worth considering.
Predicted line-up of Espanyol:
Lopez – Gil, Calero, Cabrera, Vila – Darder, Lopez, Embarba, Puado – Dimata, de Tomas
Spain Atletico Madrid – Statistics & current form
While promoted Espanyol are still waiting for their first goal and their first win, Atlético’s start to the season has been much better. Two wins at Celta Vigo (2:1) and against FC Elche (1:0), but the Rojiblancos did not cover themselves with glory in both games.
Against Celta, the match could well have ended 2:2, if not had to, while against Elche, after the opening goal in the first half, they only did what was necessary in a very modest match without any real highlights. The poor performance was also reflected in the result in the 3rd league match, when they could not get beyond a 2-2 draw at home against Villarreal, who had been goalless up to that point, and were even very lucky to take a point from the match at all.
Villarreal scored the 2:2 themselves in the 95th minute with a very curious own header after a return to the goalkeeper. Atlético were jubilant but could not help taking a point at all.
Atlético Madrid unconvincing so far
So far, the performances in the first three matchdays, they have been rather un-champion-worthy. That is certainly the main reason why the winning bet on the favourite is so highly endowed In the Espanyol Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid match, the corresponding tip brings betting odds of over 1.90.
The much-publicised return of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico, meanwhile, should give the Rojiblancos a further boost – also because they will have to do without Luis Suarez, who will land very late in Madrid due to the World Cup qualifiers in South America and is therefore unlikely to be used on Sunday afternoon.
Predicted line-up of Atletico Madrid:
Oblak – Savic, Gimenez, Hermoso – Trippier, Koke, Llorente, Lemar, Carrasco – Correa, Griezmann
Espanyol – Atletico Madrid Direct comparison / H2H balance
Looking at the clubs’ recent record against each other, it quickly becomes clear that Espanyol are unlikely to be a walkover for Atletico. Atletico have only won five of their last ten meetings, with three defeats and two draws. A mixed record for a clear favourite.
However, the overall record speaks for itself: Atletico have won more than half – 90 – of the 172 matches in their history. Espanyol have won 51, but drawn 31.
Spain Espanyol – Atletico Madrid Spain Tip
The last time Atlético met at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium in the 2019/20 season, they only managed a meagre 1-1 draw, so the Rojiblancos should be warned not to expect a walkover from the champions against the promoted side.
Nor do we, we rather believe that it will be a usual unsightly and contested match with few goalmouth scenes and goals. Especially since Espanyol have only conceded one goal and have yet to score one.
The three-way odds on a win for the favourites are so interesting that we are going to play them without further ado. Therefore, our prediction for Espanyol vs. Atlético Madrid is: Away win for the guests from the capital
