Will the home team end their winless streak?
Good intentions for a new calendar year can be found almost everywhere. Whether – and if so, for how long – these will be kept will only become clear later. In our Espanyol Barcelona vs. Oviedo tip, such goals were, in all likelihood, missed by a wide margin.
The home team ended the past calendar year in the best possible way, winning five La Liga games in a row. However, after a short break between Christmas and New Year’s, a new era began for the Pericos. Up to this Espanyol Barcelona vs. Oviedo prediction, there has been no victory in La Liga.
The defense in particular has fallen apart. Manolo Gonzales’ team earned three clean sheets in a row during their five-game winning streak at the end of last year. Most recently, the Periquitos suddenly conceded more than 1.5 goals in eight of nine La Liga games.
However, the bookmakers do not consider the hosts to be the favorites in the Espanyol Barcelona vs. Oviedo betting odds. The visitors are bottom of the table, having managed only three wins in the entire season.
Despite their poor haul (4 points), the Carbayones are ahead of the hosts (2 points) in the second half of the season table – a bet on a “double chance X2” is therefore justifiable, given Espanyol’s glaring form curve.
Above all, we can well imagine a turbulent match in which both teams make several mistakes. This could result in several goals being scored. Our recommendation is the Espanyol Barcelona vs. Oviedo odds of 2.20 at Tipico on “Over 2.5 goals.”
Espanyol Barcelona – Oviedo Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The results of the last few encounters already indicate why the odds for this betting option are slightly higher. Four of the five previous matches between the two Spanish first division teams had a maximum of two goals. Just as often, the match ended without any goals on either side.
However, this season’s statistics suggest that there will be slightly more goal-scoring opportunities than in recent head-to-head matches. But perhaps it is the vulnerability of both defenses that ultimately convinces us to bet on “over 2.5 goals” in the game. So far, only Levante (44) has conceded more goals than the promoted team (43).
Espanyol Barcelona – Oviedo Tip
Furthermore, the trends for both defenses are pointing in the wrong direction, or rather in the direction we want. No La Liga team has conceded more goals in the second half of the season than Espanyol Barcelona (19). Real Oviedo follows closely behind, along with Elche, with 15 goals conceded each.
The hosts are by no means inactive in attack. Manolo Gonzales’s team has scored at least two goals in each of its last three league games. This allowed them to snatch at least one point from Celta Vigo (2-2) and Elche (2-2). However, the Pericos lost their match against Atletico Madrid (2-4).
Furthermore, the home side’s set-piece strength should not go unmentioned. Only Osasuna (13) have scored more goals from set pieces than Espanyol Barcelona (11) so far this season. The Carbayones have also celebrated seven times after a set-piece goal.
