Villarreal vs Espanyol: what the data says
What is worth noting before kickoff?
What this page answers
A side-by-side look at both teams' last five matches: attack, defence, running and availability. It explains where each side has an edge before kickoff; it is not a win/draw/loss prediction.
The takeaway
Villarreal lead in both underlying performance and recent points.
- Underlying goal difference (expected goals for minus against): Villarreal +1.20, Espanyol -0.23.
- Points per game over the last five: Villarreal 1.40, Espanyol 0.80.
- Attack: Villarreal xG per match 2.61, 17.2 shots, 4.0 big chances created; Espanyol xG per match 1.10, 11.0 shots, 1.5 big chances created.
- Defence: expected goals conceded per match Villarreal 1.40, Espanyol 1.33; shots on target faced 7.0 vs 7.8, big chances faced 2.4 vs 1.5.
Each team's clearest edge
Home edge
Big chances created per match
4.0
vs 1.5
· Edge 62.5%
xG per match
2.61
vs 1.10
· Edge 57.7%
Points per game
1.40
vs 0.80
· Edge 42.9%
Largest relative gaps among the displayed metrics.
Away edge
Big chances faced per match
1.5
vs 2.4
· Edge 37.5%
xGA per match
1.33
vs 1.40
· Edge 5.3%
Largest relative gaps among the displayed metrics.
Head-to-head data
Villarreal
|
Metric |
Espanyol
|
|---|---|---|
| Results | ||
| 1.40 | Points per game | 0.80 |
| 1.40 | Goals per match | 1.00 |
| 1.00 | Goals conceded per match | 1.40 |
| 1.90 | Expected points per game | 1.23 |
| Attack | ||
| 2.61 | xG per match | 1.10 |
| 17.2 | Shots per match 5 / 4 matches with data | 11.0 |
| 11.4 | Shots on target per match 5 / 4 matches with data | 7.2 |
| 4.0 | Big chances created per match 5 / 4 matches with data | 1.5 |
| 59.8% | Possession 5 / 4 matches with data | 39.0% |
| 10.4 | Deep completions per match | 7.0 |
| Defence | ||
| 1.40 | xGA per match | 1.33 |
| 11.0 | Shots faced per match 5 / 4 matches with data | 15.2 |
| 7.0 | Shots on target faced per match 5 / 4 matches with data | 7.8 |
| 2.4 | Big chances faced per match 5 / 4 matches with data | 1.5 |
| 6.8 | Deep completions allowed per match | 7.0 |
| Running & pressing | ||
| — | Distance covered per match (km) 0 / 0 matches with data | — |
| — | Sprints per match 0 / 0 matches with data | — |
| 21.6 | Pressing value (lower is stronger) | 20.8 |
Highlighted values are the stronger side. For goals conceded, shots faced and the pressing value, lower is better.
Injuries & absences
Villarreal 3
- Carlos Romero Injury Doubtful
- Nathan Saliba Injury Doubtful
- Nicolas Pépé Injury Expected return: Unknown
Espanyol 2
- Jofre Carreras Injury Doubtful
- Kike García Injury Expected return: Unknown
Latest pre-match snapshot; coverage varies by league.
Limitations
Based on 10 recent matches (10 with expected-goals data).
- Injury snapshots start from 2026-09-17; earlier absences are not reflected.