La Liga 2026–2027: Villarreal vs. Espanyol, Probable Lineups
Tonight at 9 p.m., Villarreal hosts Espanyol in a match for Matchday 11 of La Liga, with the goal of closing in on the European spots. Iñigo Pérez’s team returns to play in front of its home crowd after getting back on the winning track in the league with an away victory over Valencia and easily defeating Manacor in the Copa del Rey. The Catalans find themselves in a much more precarious situation, coming off a loss to Racing and elimination from the Copa del Rey at the hands of Sestao River. Adding to the intrigue leading up to the match is the recent firing of Manolo González: Espanyol must now begin a new chapter of their season under the guidance of Eder Sarabia.
Iñigo Pérez is expected to stick with a 4-4-2 formation, with Foyth and Renato Veiga in the center of the defense. In midfield, Pape Gueye’s absence could open the door for Comesaña, while Mikautadze is expected to start up front.
Espanyol, meanwhile, is likely to rely on Roberto Fernández as its main attacking threat, with Zaragoza, Dolan, and Hernandez ready to support him in the attacking third. In defense, Cabrera is expected to lead the back line.
Probable lineups
VILLARREAL (4-4-2): Gulácsi; Alex Freeman, Foyth, Renato Veiga, Sergi Cardona; Buchanan, Comesaña, Carlos Macià, Moleiro; Gerard Moreno, Mikautadze.
ESPANYOL (4-2-3-1): Fortuño; Omar El Hilali, Drkusic, Cabrera, Roger Hinojo; Pol Lozano, Edu Expósito; Tyrhys Dolan, Javier Hernández, Bryan Zaragoza; Roberto Fernández.
