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Opposition lowdown: Villarreal
The Yellow Submarine are the final visiting side of 2022
RCD Espanyol welcome Villarreal to the RCDE Stadium on Wednesday.
In what is the last home match of 2022, Espanyol will hope to end on a high and earn a second win in three matches on home soil. Villarreal arrive with a new manager in Quique Setién and needing an upturn in form, without a win in their last four outings.
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Name: Villarreal CF
Nickname: El Submarí Groguet (The Yellow Submarine)
Manager: Quique Setién
Stadium: Estadio de la Cerámica – 23,500 capacity
Last match: L 2-0 vs RCD Mallorca
Last season: 7th
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Last meeting
It was a day to forget the last time Espanyol faced Villarreal, as they were on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing in February. Yéremy Pino scored four goals to put the match beyond doubt, before Keidi Bare pulled one back and the hosts added a fifth late on.
Key player
After a season on loan with fellow Catalan club Girona FC, Álex Baena has hit the ground running back at Villarreal and is enjoying a stellar season. The Spaniard has scored eight goals and got four assists, with seven of those coming in European competitions.
Though he is mainly deployed as a left winger, what makes Baena such a threat is his versatility and quality in all those positions. This season alone, he has played as a striker, on the right wing and even in midfield, a valuable asset for any player.
Club links
Now on loan at Marseille from Manchester United, Eric Bailly spent his formative years in Spain and for the two clubs. He came through the Espanyol academy to make his senior debut in 2014, spending the season with the first team.
However, just months later he signed a long-term deal for Villarreal, making almost half a century of appearances for the side. He has since represented his native Côte D’Ivoire at international level and is enjoying his football in Ligue 1.
Blanquiazul reunion
Gerard Moreno is a familiar face to pericos and is set for a return to the RCDE Stadium this week. Having played youth football at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque, he returned to Espanyol in 2015 from, of all teams, Villarreal.
Moreno scored 39 goals in over 100 appearances in the blanquiazul shirt, spending three years back at the Club he started. The striker would return to Villarreal in 2018 where he has been ever since, now making the trip back to where it all started.