Overview
Espanyol is having a season exceeding expectations and is still ranked fifth after 21 rounds, but the series of unbeaten matches since the beginning of 2026 has caused them to begin to be closely followed by the chasing group.
Hosting Alaves - the team with the worst away record in the league and only scoring 4 goals in 10 away trips - is a clear opportunity for the Catalan team to "relieve their drought" and maintain their goal of participating in European cups.
Espanyol entered this round with 34 points after 21 matches, a record enough for them to dream of a position in the European cup group. However, the sublimation of Manolo Gonzalez's team is being blocked quite uncomfortably when 2026 starts unsuccessfully.
In the last 4 matches in La Liga, Espanyol only earned exactly one point (drawing with Levante), the rest were 3 defeats against Barcelona, Girona and Valencia.
However, RCDE is still not a bad foothold for Espanyol. They have won 6, drawn 1 and lost 4 in 11 home matches this season. More importantly, their opponent is Alaves - a team that almost "turns off" every time they leave home.
Alaves has only won 4 points after 10 away matches, only scored 4 goals and had just one victory. These numbers show that this is the type of opponent that Espanyol needs to take advantage of if they do not want to continue sliding downhill.
In head-to-head matches, Espanyol has a relative advantage when winning 4/6 of their most recent encounters with Alaves in La Liga. However, the result in the first leg is a reminder. Alaves once won 2-1 in the two teams' encounter at the beginning of the season, and they will definitely take that as a spiritual support for this away trip.
On the other side, Alaves is living in a familiar mid-table. They are 15th with 22 points, only one point ahead of the relegation group. However, they have reason to be more confident than a few weeks ago when they won 2 out of 3 recent matches in all competitions.
Notably, the 2-1 victory over Real Betis in the most recent match in La Liga, followed by a 2-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Copa del Rey in mid-month.
Alaves' story is still a relegation problem. Last season they finished in 15th place and were only 2 points ahead of the bottom group. This season, a similar tense scenario is repeating itself. Therefore, even though away from home is a nightmare, they will still have to cherish every point.
If Espanyol wants to maintain a position in the top 5 and maintain their European ambition, this is the time they need a victory to "break" their downward spiral. As for Alaves, each away trip at this time is a test of their bravery.
Personnel situation
Espanyol will continue to be without Javi Puado due to a serious knee injury, but Omar El Hilali will return to the squad after missing the match against Valencia due to suspension.
El Hilali will return to the main squad in the right-back position, while Kike Garcia is an option in the attacking area.
Pere Milla has scored 6 goals this season and is likely to keep a position in the attack, while Roberto Fernandez is also expected to continue to play as a starter.
On Alaves' side, Facundo Garces is serving a long-term suspension so he cannot play, while Nikola Maras is out of action due to a knee injury.
Denis Suarez - former Barcelona striker - is also struggling to recover from a muscle injury.
Expected lineup:
Dmitrovic, El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero, Jofre, Gonzalez, Lozano, Terrats, Fernandez, Milla.
Sivera, Tenaglia, Protesoni, Pacheco, Otto, Guridi, Blanco, Ibanez, Alena, Boye, Martinez.
The match between Espanyol and Alaves takes place at 3:00 AM on January 31st (Vietnam time).
