The Spanish La Liga eight round is set for this weekend, and on Sunday, October 15th, 2017, two exciting games wait for us – Eibar hosts Deportivo La Coruna at Ipurua Municipal Stadium, while Girona welcomes Villarreal at Estadi Montilivi.
In this preview we would like to take a closer look at these two games, so you can get fresh tips and betting predictions. Hopefully, we can make some money together.
EIBAR vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
3-Way: 1: Eibar +110; X: +270 Draw; 2: Deportivo La Coruna +320
Spread -0.5: Eibar +104; Deportivo La Coruna -105
Total +2.5: Over +104; Under +100
EIBAR
The Gunsmiths are in a difficult situation after the first seven rounds of the Spanish La Liga with just six points, a 3:17 goal difference, and a form of LLLWLLW. After a 1:0 home victory over Leganes in the fourth round, they’ve lost three consecutive games conceding 13 goals and scoring just one (against Barcelona in a 6:1 defeat). An awful form and a bad string of results put a lot of pressure on their shoulders before next game against Deportivo La Coruna in front of the home fans.
Eibar is facing all kinds of problems, as they managed to score just three goals in the first seven matches, creating 53 scoring chances with a 72% of average pass accuracy. Their attack is the less efficient in the La Liga along with Alaves’. On the other side, they conceded 17 goals so far, which makes their defense the worst in the league together with Real Sociedad’s defense. In previous three rounds, they allowed 26 goal chances to their opponents, managing to defend just half of it. The Gunsmiths are losing key battles on every part of the field, and they have to regroup as soon as possible.
The manager Jose Luis Mendilibar has a lot of worries about his team, and there are already some rumors about his future at the club. He still cannot count on the goalkeeper Yoel Rodriguez due to a cruciate ligament rupture, while the centre-back Ivan Ramis and the central midfielder Fran Rico are doubtful with a calf and knee injuries. All other players are ready to go.
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
Depor had a bad start of the season with just one point out of the first four rounds, but since then they’ve managed to record two wins at home, beating Getafe, 2:1, and Alaves, 1:0. Meanwhile, they were easily smashed by Espanyol on the road, 4:1, and after seven rounds Depor is sitting at the 15th place of the La Liga table with seven points, and a 9:16 goal difference. They will try to improve their away record, as they won only a point at Levante while losing at Espanyol and Betis.
The manager Pepe Mel had some issues with team’s defensive work, as his boys managed to keep the clean sheet only once, against Alaves’ worst attack in the league. The centre-back duo Sidnei and Fabian Schar made some improvement at the home court, while on the road they are still making big mistakes. In the previous away game against Betis, they allowed nine scoring chances to the opponent’s players, and four of them resulted in a goal.
Offensively, the team is looking nice, recording 66 scoring chances, and bagging nine goals (only one after the set piece). The Romanian striker Florin Andone and the winger Federico Cartabia both scored two times so far, while Andone has two dishes on his account. Another key player Lucas Perez, who joined from Arsenal on loan, had 10 key passes in five appearances, scoring one goal, too.
However, Lucas Perez is suffering from the hamstring injury, and he might miss the next game against Eibar. The winger Carles Gil, midfielder Pedro Mosquera and the keeper Ruben Martinez are all doubtful due to injuries, so Pepe Mel will have some problems to field his best eleven.
EIBAR vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA – Match Prediction
Eibar is a dangerous team at home, and they need to start bagging goals as soon as possible. There’s no better opportunity than Deportivo’s defense, so I expect to see some goals in visitor’s net. For those who like to play on goals, it could be a nice match to play the over, but I’ll stick with The Gunsmiths, hoping they will produce goals in this one.
MY PICK: Eibar to Win (+110)
GIRONA vs. VILLARREAL
3-Way: 1: Girona +191; X: +231 Draw; 2: Villarreal +181
Spread 0: Girona +106; Villarreal -108
Total +2.5: Over +129; Under -130
GIRONA
Girona finally reached the Spanish La Liga this summer, and they’ve announced a heavy battle to stay here. After they recorded four points out of the first two rounds, including a 2:2 draw with Atletico Madrid in the opening match of the season, everyone thought Girona could be a positive surprise. However, the last five games showed us they will clearly have to fight against the relegation and a quick comeback to the second tier. Girona is currently at the 16th place of the Spanish La Liga table with six points, a 6:11 goal difference and a form of DLDLL.
The White and Reds recorded 63 scoring opportunities so far, and they are the eight best team in the league when it comes to creating chances, although their finishing was quite poor. Defensively, they are winning 39% of tackles and 51% of aerial duels, making two errors that both led to goals. The striker Cristhian Stuani, who arrived from Middlesbrough this summer, is leading the club’s scoring chart with three goals so far, while there’s no player in the squad with at least two assists on the account.
The manager Pablo Machin has some injury worries, as two centre-backs, Pedro Alcala and Marc Muniesa could miss the next game against Villarreal. The defensive midfielder David Timor is still unavailable due to a muscle injury.
VILLARREAL
After a heavy 4:0 defeat against Getafe in the sixth round of the Spanish La Liga, Javier Calleja replaced Francisco Escriba at the helm of the Yellow Submarine, and since than Villarreal didn’t concede in two played matches – against Maccabi Tel Aviv, 0:0, in the second round of the Europa League, and Eibar, 3:0, in the previous round of the La Liga.
The Yellow Submarine is laying at the ninth place of the table with 10 points, a 9:9 goal difference and a form of WLDWW. Their fans surely expect more in days to come, and we’ll see how they will cope with demands. The new manager shook things a little bit, so I’m looking for a more stable form in next rounds.
The 26-year old forward Cedric Bakambu had a tremendous night against Eibar, scoring a hat-trick, while Manuel Trigueros and Nicola Sansone put on a good display, both making an assist for Bakambu’s goals. He’s now the club’s top scorer in the league with five goals, and his partner Carlos Bacca added just two. Everyone is still waiting for the Columbian to find the right form, and prove his worth to the team.
The goalkeepers Sergio Asenjo and Andres Fernandez are both out with a cruciate ligament rupture, so Mariano Barbosa will be between the sticks once again. The midfielder Bruno Soriano and a left-back Adrian Marin are still doubtful, as both guys missed all seven rounds so far.
GIRONA vs. VILLARREAL – Match Prediction
Every round of the Spanish La Liga features some quite unpredictable games, and this clash is surely one of them. Girona showed strength in a few encounters this season, and they are capable of getting a goal against Villareal at home. On the other side, we have a team with much better individuals, so I am in a doubt – should I go with visitors, or should I put my money on both teams to score.
MY PICK: Both Teams to Score YES (+100)
ADDITIONAL PICK: Villarreal to Win (+181)
