Espanyol will be bidding to make it three La Liga victories in a row when they travel to Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Sunday afternoon to face Real Valladolid.
The Catalan outfit are currently 12th in the table, boasting 27 points from their opening 23 matches, while Real Valladolid sit 17th, just one point ahead of the relegation zone heading into the next set of games.
Match preview
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Real Valladolid took seven points from their three league matches against Valencia, Real Sociedad and Osasuna between January 29 and February 12, but they have since lost their last two against Real Betis and Celta Vigo.
The back-to-back defeats have left them in 17th position in the table, just one point ahead of 18th-placed Valencia, with the team very much involved in a relegation battle at this stage of the season.
Pacheta's side suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Celta last weekend, but the majority of their strong work has come at home this season, picking up 17 points from their 11 games in front of their own fans.
The White and Violets will therefore be glad to be back at Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Sunday afternoon, where they recorded a 2-1 victory over Espanyol when the two teams last locked horns in Valladolid.
Real Valladolid suffered a 1-0 loss to Espanyol in the reverse match earlier this season, though, and the home team will be welcoming a side that will be full of confidence following back-to-back wins.
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Espanyol have managed to put four points between them and the bottom three due to their recent form, which has seen them lose just one of their last four in the league, picking up seven points in the process.
The Catalan side were 1-0 winners over Elche on February 19 before beating Mallorca 2-1, with Martin Braithwaite netting a double for the home team at RCDE Stadium.
Diego Martinez's side will travel to Real Madrid in their next match after this one, which puts more pressure on the visitors to secure a positive result here, as a defeat could see then slide down the table ahead of the clash with the Spanish and European champions.
The White and Blues have actually only lost three of their 11 away league games this season, picking up 14 points in the process, which is more than they have managed at home.
Indeed, Espanyol have the second-worst home record in La Liga this term, having only picked up 13 points from 12 matches, conceding 20 times in the process.
Team News
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Real Valladolid will be missing Kenedy, Anuar Tuhami, Jordi Masip and Darwin Machis this weekend through injury, while Kike Perez and Selim Amallah are both suspended.
Perez picked up a milestone booking in the loss to Celta, while Amallah was sent off in the latter stages of the contest after entering the field as a half-time substitute.
Roque Mesa is likely to be the player to benefit from Perez's suspension, but head coach Pacheta is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes, with the likes of Monchu, Oscar Plano and Ivan Sanchez set to keep their positions in the side.
Espanyol, meanwhile, will be without the services of Keidi Bare, Adria Pedrosa, Gori, Dani Gomez and Ruben Sanchez for the trip to Valladolid.
Joselu made his return from injury as a second-half substitute against Mallorca, and the forward, who has scored 11 league goals this season, is now set to come into the starting XI.
Denis Suarez and Vinicius Souza should also retain their spots in midfield, while Aleix Vidal is likely to be the player given licence to break forward to join Joselu and Braithwaite.
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Aceves; Rosa, J Sanchez, El Yamiq, Olaza; Plano, Mesa, Monchu; Plata, Larin, I Sanchez
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Gil, Cabrera, Montes, Olivan; Vidal, Darder, Souza, Suarez; Joselu, Braithwaite
We say: Real Valladolid 1-2 Espanyol
Espanyol's recent victories would have boosted their confidence, and the return of Joselu is a huge boost for the Catalan side. Real Valladolid are in desperate need of the points as they bid to stay out of the relegation zone, but we are tipping the visitors to secure all three points in this match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
