Back
Opposition lowdown: Villarreal
RCD Espanyol take on the Yellow Submarine next in LaLiga
RCD Espanyol go down the coast to take on Villarreal this Thursday.
After picking up a point at home to Cádiz last week, the Mágico are now going for all three when they travel to the Estadio de la Cerámica. Back-to-back defeats for Villarreal give them just a one-point advantage in the European spots, with plenty to play for at both ends of the LaLiga table.
---
Name: Villarreal CF
Nickname: El Submarí Groguet (The Yellow Submarine)
Manager: Quique Setién
Stadium: Estadio de la Cerámica – 23,500 capacity
Last match: L 1-2 vs Sevilla
Current position: 6th
---
The season so far
Villarreal have comfortably turned around their mid-season slump to solidify their spot in sixth, which would see them play in the Europa Conference League next season. However there is no room for error in these final few fixtures, as they sit one point off fifth and with Athletic one point behind themselves in seventh.
Standout player
Samuel Chukwueze is having his best season in a Villarreal shirt, registering an impressive 13 goals and 11 assists across all competitions. A sharp winger who plays off the right, the Nigerian is undoubtedly one of the Yellow Submarine’s key players, having missed just two matches throughout the whole campaign.
Last time at the RCDE Stadium
Villarreal were the visitors to the Temple in the final LaLiga matchweek back in November, right before the World Cup break. An uneventful encounter saw Espanyol fall to a 1-0 defeat on home soil, as they will certainly go out for revenge this time round.
Club links
Javi Fuego represented Espanyol and Villarreal towards the end of his career, having played for a number of clubs across Spain beforehand. The midfielder made 52 appearances in the blanquiazul shirt over two years, before moving on to spend a season at Villarreal in 2018.