Whose streak will end on Tuesday evening?
On Tuesday evening, Estádio Mestalla will host a basement battle between two teams from the bottom third of the table, at least in terms of the standings. Nevertheless, both opponents are in excellent form, making it difficult to predict the outcome of the match between Valencia and Espanyol Barcelona. While the visitors from Catalonia have won their last three league games, Los Ches are unbeaten in seven La Liga games in a row (four wins, three draws).
So unless the game ends in a draw, one of the two winning streaks will come to an end, although a draw is not entirely out of the question in Valencia vs. Espanyol Barcelona. Of course, there is a certain amount of risk involved here. However, it cannot be denied that the last four encounters between the two teams in La Liga have all ended in draws.
In principle, we are including the draw, which certainly has a not inconsiderable probability of occurring, in our betting recommendations, especially since a draw probability of 28 percent already results in a positive expected value. However, the more down-to-earth approach is to bet on under goals in this Tuesday evening game.
Valencia – Statistics & current form
Valencia CF has been lagging behind the strong form of recent decades for some time now. Last summer, the Murciélagos (meaning “bats”) finished only ninth in the final table and once again missed out on qualifying for European competition. They are still a long way off that in 2024/25. In fact, Los Ches were even fighting relegation at one point.
However, the arrival of coach Carlos Corberán in the winter brought the much-needed upturn. Because the Blanquinergros have not lost any of their last seven La Liga games (four wins, three draws) and collected 15 out of a possible 21 points, they now have a seven-point cushion over the first relegation spot, which they now need to maintain until the end of the season.
Valencia with visible improvement in defense
The bookmakers are confident that the recent run will continue. Merkur Bets is offering odds of just 1.77 for a Valencia win against Espanyol Barcelona, even though Los Ches have not beaten the Catalans in five La Liga games (four draws, one defeat). The bookmaker also offers an attractive Merkur Bets bonus of up to $40 in free bets, which can be claimed in addition to the $60 cashback bonus.
One reason for the favorites’ status of the team from the east coast of Spain is certainly the way in which they have scored so regularly recently. After conceding six more goals in two games against Atlético Madrid (0-3) and Osasuna (3-3) on matchdays 25 and 26, the defense has since conceded only four more goals in six consecutive league games, despite including an away game at Real Madrid, which the Blanquinegros won 2-1. The newly found compactness must now be brought to bear against Espanyol Barcelona.
Espanyol Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol – RCDE for short – seems to be on the verge of securing its place in La Liga after its surprisingly early return last summer, when it finished fourth in La Liga 2 and made it through the playoffs. The Catalans, who are threatened with relegation, have celebrated three wins in a row under promotion coach Manolo González, extending their lead over the first relegation spot to seven points.
If the Periquitos’ away win tip also comes in against Valencia, it would certainly be a decisive factor. The former student club, which is one of the oldest Spanish football clubs, having been founded in 1900, also owes its recent resurgence to its new defensive compactness. They have conceded only one goal in their last five competitive games.
Espanyol Barcelona struggled away from home in particular before their resurgence
Conversely, the Catalans’ offense has also been working remarkably well recently. Eight goals have been scored in the last four La Liga games, thanks to the interplay between Pol Lozano, Urko González, and Eduardo Expósito, who have recently been hailed as a “magic triangle” in the Spanish press. In fact, winter signing Urko González is also an important stabilizing force in the RCDE’s play as the linchpin in the center, which is why the Periquitos can be expected to get a good result on the east coast of Spain.
However, despite all the praise for the Catalans’ current form, their extremely poor away record cannot be ignored. Ten of their 15 La Liga away games in 2024/25 have been lost (three wins, two draws), with the offense scoring only 14 away goals, almost half of which came in the last two away games at Rayo Vallecano (4-0) and Celta Vigo (2-0). This shows that very little was working before the recent upturn, especially away from home, which also explains the Periquitos’ underdog status in the odds.
Valencia – Espanyol Barcelona Head-to-head record / H2H record
Head to head: 87 – 39 – 61
A total of 187 matches have been played between the two teams so far, with Valencia CF leading the head-to-head record with 87 wins. However, the Murciélagos have failed to win against Espanyol Barcelona in their last five matches (four draws, one defeat). In the first leg on December 18, 2024, the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in Catalonia.
Valencia – Espanyol Barcelona Tip
In our opinion, the betting odds offered by the best bookmakers for the match between Valencia and Espanyol Barcelona are clearly in favor of the Murciélagos. The team from the east coast of Spain is in good form. However, Los Ches have not won any of their last five La Liga games against the Catalans (four draws, one defeat), who have won all of their last three league games and are coming to Mestalla in very strong form.
Basically, a draw should be considered for Valencia against Espanyol Barcelona, or at least not categorically ruled out. As we consider results such as 0-0 or 1-1 to be very realistic, especially as both defenses have been very solid recently, we recommend betting on under 2.5 goals.
