Leganés is travelling to Villarreal for their match for the 36th round of the La Liga, at Estadio de la Cerámica, home of Villarreal.
What We Know
- First match: Leganes - Villarreal 2-5.
- In nine La Liga duels, Villarreal have six wins to Leganes’s two, alongside one draw.
- Their last four matches have ended with over 2.5 goals.
- Villarreal suffered only one defeat in its last nine games at home, while Leganes has not won any of the previous seven away from home.
Betting Tip: Villarreal - Leganes
It's a very important game for both teams, and neither has a use for a draw. They will go after the win and try to score, and they both have enough attacking talent to score at least once. Our pick is BTTS.
- Prediction: BTTS
- Odds: 1.80 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 6
Villarreal
Villarreal managed to come away with a win from a game that seemed destined to end in a goalless draw. Etta Eyong, a 17-year-old from the reserve team, scored the game-winner in the 89th minute against Girona.
Villarreal struggled to create chances early on and only later managed to ramp up the pressure. Recent performances have led to a very positive streak, bringing Villarreal to 5th place with 61 points, a spot that will lead them to next season's Champions League if they manage to hold it until the end.
Manager Marcelino was delighted by the performance and the result, congratulating his players not only for being able to come away with a win, but also for negating any attacking threat on behalf of Girona. He reserved special praise for the young scorer, who is earning more playing time and more opportunities with the first team.
It was their second 1-0 win in their last three games, which is a change from earlier goalfests. Villarreal has the most games with BTTS in the league (24/35), with 22 of them also seeing over 2.5 goals. Next week, they will travel for the last time this season to face Barcelona.
Leganes
Leganes scored a very valuable win (3-2) against Espanyol, a win that can prove crucial in the battle to avoid relegation. Leganes was dominant up to the 63rd minute, scoring thrice until that point. They were up two at the half, thanks to goals by Cisse (33’) and Diomande (41’).
Pressure high up the pitch was crucial, boxing in Espanyol. Leganes added a third in the 63rd minute, thanks to an own-goal by Kumbulla, after a prolonged period of pressure in Espanyol’s box.
After that, the pressure subsided, as did the Leganes players' focus. Espanyol took advantage of that and scored twice, first with a close-range header by Cabrera (78’) and then right at the end, for the final 3-2 score.
Manager Jimenez Borja thanked the supporters for their tremendous presence and congratulated his players for a valiant performance. He did not follow up on last week’s comments about potentially departing Leganes at the end of the season.
Leganes suffered one defeat in their last six matches, though just one win as well. Currently in 18th place with 34 points, they are only a point away from safety and Alaves in 17th place. They played three straight games with BTTS, two of them ending with over 3.5 goals. They will visit Las Palmas next week, who are also in a relegation battle.
