Espanyol vs Valencia prediction 18/12/2024 | La Liga

• Date: 18/12/2024
• Competition: La Liga
• KO: 21:30 CET
• Venue: RCDE Stadium (Cornella de Llobregat)

The RCDE Stadium is the venue for a crucial La Liga contest on Wednesday evening as relegation-threatened Espanyol takes on bottom-of-the-table Valencia. 

Espanyol vs Valencia Betting Tips - Under 2.5 Goals

Espanyol comes into Wednesday's La Liga encounter in the midst of a poor run of December form. Having suffered a shock 2:0 Copa del Rey defeat against Barbastro at the start of the month, the Catalans slipped to a 1:0 La Liga loss at Getafe before a goalless draw with Osasuna on Saturday.

Sixteen games into their season, Manolo González´s side find themselves inside the relegation zone, placed 18th in the division, two points short of safety.

While boasting a decent record at home - Espanyol won four of eight games played at RCDE Stadium - consistency has been an issue. Three of those eight fixtures also ended in defeat.

Valencia return to action having seen their poor run of form continue with a 1:0 loss at Valladolid over the weekend. Rubén Baraja's side have endured a dreadful spell, winning just two of 15 league fixtures this season. This alarming slump leaves the visitors bottom of the division with only ten points collected.

Los Che have been particularly poor on the road, failing to win any of their last 11 away La Liga games. Valencia lost eight of those contests. 

A lack of attacking fire-power has been the main issue for Valencia, especially on their travels. Baraja´s men scored just two goals in their last seven away games.

With both teams short in form and firepower, a low-scoring encounter seems likely. Under 2.5 goals is my first pick, with Espanyol potentially edging to a narrow victory.