Almeria v Espanyol – Betting Preview
Almeria Summary
Almería comes into the game sitting just above the drop zone and they know a win against Espanyol would see them make an important step toward safety.
On the back of a vital and confidence-boosting point in Valencia, they would love a victory here against another club trying to avoid the drop this season.
The mood is positive generally at the club. Rubi did express some concerns however about a possible departure or two of key players before the transfer window closes. With this in mind, there are potential concerns about player focus.
The physio room is practically empty so team news is positive.
The only Injury doubt is Kaiky Fernandes, the boss Rubi confirmed that he isn’t 100%, but is ready and willing to be used from the start.
Espanyol Summary
Espanyol comes into this contest in a great mood after getting back-to-back wins, both very hard-fought in Getafe and at home to Real Betis respectively.
The morale is excellent at the club and their only aim this season is to stay well clear of the relegation zone. For that reason this is a must not lose, as Almeria is a club that is expected to be in or around the bottom sides.
The boss Diego Martinez has tried to calm talk of the club pushing for a Europa League spot, but that has become a distant target, particularly if they beat Almeria on Friday evening.
Diego Martínez could retain the same eleven which got a highly impressive win over Real Betis last weekend.
There are no new injuries or suspensions but they have a list of squad men all out including Adrià Pedrosa, Keidi Baré, and Gori García.
Betting Analysis
Looking at the 1×2 market first. These are two very well-matched teams with the same objectives and ideas. The slight favourite for this game is Almeria is @ 2.55 due to their home advantage. Espanyol is @ 3.00 to win while the draw is @ 3.10.
Moving onto the Asian handicap market for this contest. The punters have the draw no bet (DNB) as a cushion here. so, a bet on either Almeria -0 or Espanyol -0 would return the stake should it end all square. Almeria -0.5 is @1.78 while Espanyol is priced @ 2.11.
Looking at The Under/Over goal line last of all, which holds more appeal than the above two markets. The line is set at 2.25 and the sense is that Overs is quite attractive @ 1.96. The view is that both teams are tidy in front of goal and create chances. There is not much mutual respect and so a decent match is possible. Should it end with exactly 2 goals then only half of the stake is lost, a reassuring safety net. Under is @ 1.86.
