The Spanish La Liga continues this weekend with the Round 12 matches, and some exciting games wait for us on Sunday, November 19th, 2017, when Malaga hosts Deportivo La Coruna at La Rosaleda, while Espanyol meets Valencia at RCDE Stadium.
In this preview, we’ll take a closer look at these two matches, so don’t waste your time, and check out our betting tips and predictions like always here on GetMoreSports.
MALAGA vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
3-Way: 1: Malaga +152; X: +246 Draw; 2: Deportivo La Coruna +236 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Malaga +140; Deportivo La Coruna -143
Total +2.5: Over +102; Under -103
MALAGA
After the first victory of the season over Celta Vigo in the 10th round of the Spanish La Liga, Malaga suffered another defeat in the previous round against Villarreal on the road, 2:0. They are still at the bottom of the La Liga table with four points out of 11 matches, a 6:23 goal difference, and a 1-1-9 record. It seems like nothing has changed in Malaga’s style of play, while the manager Michel is still at the helm.
Against Villarreal, Michel’s boys played well at the defensive end until the 68th minute when Nicola Sansone broke the deadlock. However, Malaga was harmless in the final third once more, and they just couldn’t find the net, even they took 10 shots on Villarreal’s goal. Malaga’s finishing job is pretty lousy so far, as they scored only six goals out of 90 scoring opportunities. The 24-year old Uruguayan striker Diego Rolan, who’s loaned from Bordeaux, is the only man in the squad with two goals on the account, while his colleague Borja Baston, who’s also playing on loan from Swansea City, is still goalless in seven apps this season, and he’s the biggest disappointment in fans’ eyes.
The manager Michel has a lot of problems to field his best eleven, and for the next match against Deportivo La Coruna, he cannot count on Diego Rolan (muscle injury), Zdravko Kuzmanovic (muscle injury), Miguel Torres (muscular problems), and Roberto (muscular problems).
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
Depor suffered the sixth defeat of the season against Atletico Madrid at home, 1:0, in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga. They had a great game against heavyweight Atleti, battling bravely for the 90 minutes, but in the first minute of the injury time, Thomas’ shot was unstoppable for Depor’s keeper Costel Pantilimon. It was a sad moment for Deportivo’s fans, who already celebrated a draw against one of the best teams in the league.
After the first eleven rounds of the Spanish La Liga Deportivo La Coruna is sitting at the 16th spot of the table with 11 points, a 13:20 goal difference, and a form of LWLDW. At home, they recorded two victories and four losses with a 6:11 goal difference, while on the road they earned five points out of five games with a 1-2-2 record and a 7:9 goal difference. The 29-year old forward Lucas Perez, who’s loaned from Arsenal, is a team’s leading scorer with four goals in 10 appearances, while the midfielder Celso Borges bagged three goals in 10 apps so far. The 24-year old striker Florin Andone is a leading assistant with two dishes in 11 matches this season, but he was pretty quiet in the last couple of weeks.
The manager Cristobal Parralo doesn’t have any serious problems with injured players, besides the goalkeeper Ruben Martinez (finger injury), who’s sidelined since September 12th, while the left-back Luisinho will have to serve the yellow card suspension.
MALAGA vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA – Match Prediction
This could be the last chance for Michel to turn the things around, and we’ll see if his boys really want him on the bench. On the other side will be Depor’s fragile defense, so we could see some goals in this clash. It is always ungrateful to place a bet on a game like this one, but I’ll go with the home side, as they desperately need three points.
MY PICK: Malaga to Win (+152)
ESPANYOL vs. VALENCIA
3-Way: 1: Espanyol +229; X: +252 Draw; 2: Valencia +141 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread 0: Espanyol +135; Valencia +137
Total +2.5: Over -108; Under +102
ESPANYOL
Espanyol continued with poor displays, as they were beaten by Alaves on the road, 1:0, in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga. Quique Sanchez Flores’ team put on another harmless performance, and after their fourth defeat of the season, they are laying at the 13th spot of the La Liga table with 13 points, a 9:13 goal difference and a form of LWDDL. At home, Espanyol played pretty well, earning 10 points out of five matches with a 7:3 goal difference and a 3-1-1 record. On the road, they are still winless after six games with a 2:10 goal difference, and a 0-3-3 record.
The 25-year old striker Gerard Moreno is arguably Espanyol’s best player this season with four goals in 11 appearances, while his colleague Leo Baptistao added three goals and two dishes to his name in 11 matches so far. The 28-year old winger Pablo Piatti is a big disappointment with just one goal and one assist in 10 apps. Certainly, Espanyol needs more from him and from other midfielders, as only Moreno, Baptistao and Piatti were scorers in the first 11 matches of the La Liga campaign.
The manager Quique Sanchez Flores will miss the 22-year old centre-back Mario Hermoso for the next match due to a red card suspension, while the right-back Marc Navarro is doubtful with a sprained ankle. All other players are healthy and ready to go.
VALENCIA
The Bats are marching through the Spanish La Liga this season, and in the previous round, they hammered Leganes, 3:0, in front of the home fans to record their seventh consecutive La Liga victory. After the first eleven matches, Valencia is in the second spot of the table with 27 points, a 30:11 goal difference, and an 8-3-0 record. They are just four points behind the leader Barcelona, and four points ahead of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Their attacking approach is paying off, and we saw once more against Leganes how deadly they are in the final third.
The 26-year old striker Simone Zaza is playing in a magnificent form from the start of the season, bagging goals on a regular basis. With nine goals in 11 matches, he is topping the team’s scoring chart. The 26-year old forward Rodrigo is also in a great form, adding seven goals and four dishes to his name in 11 apps this season. The 20-year old winger Goncalo Guedes, who’s loaned from Paris SG, is a team’s top assistant with five dishes in nine appearances, also adding three goals to his name. The midfielder Carlos Soler made four assists in 11 games, but his form is descending in the last couple of weeks.
The manager Marcelino Garcia Toral takes a lot of credit for brilliant performances this season with his tactical approach, as he insists on a high pressure and attacking football. He can pick up his best eleven for the next match, even Simone Zaza had a slight problem with a knee injury.
ESPANYOL vs. VALENCIA – Match Prediction
We’ll see how far The Bats can go this season, and the match against Espanyol should be a big test. The home side is playing poorly recently, but they will have a huge motive to beat Valencia in front of the home fans. I think they don’t have a quality to get a win, but they certainly can score against The Bats’ defense. Therefore, I’ll go with some goals in this one.
MY PICK: Both Teams to Score YES (-130)
ADDITIONAL PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-108)
