Roberto Fernández has six goals before Elche visit Espanyol

Espanyol’s 7 points put them 12 places and five points above Elche before today’s 19:00 UTC meeting at RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat. Espanyol’s recent record is 2W, 1D and 3L, while Elche have taken 2 draws and 4 defeats from their last six.

What's at stake

Espanyol sit eighth with 7 points from six matches, while Elche are 20th on 2 points. A win for Elche would cut the five-point gap; three points for Espanyol would extend it. Barcelona lead La Liga with 18 points, leaving Espanyol 11 points behind the leaders and Elche 16 adrift.

The numbers

Espanyol’s home record is 1W, 1D and 1L, with 5 goals scored, 3 conceded and 1 clean sheet. Elche are still without an away win, recording 2 draws and 1 loss on the road while scoring 4 and conceding 5, with no clean sheets.

Across six matches, Espanyol have scored 9 goals and conceded 7. Elche have scored 8 but allowed 16, a defensive difference of nine goals between the teams despite their similar attacking totals.

One to watch

Roberto Fernández is the leading scorer among the two squads, with 6 goals in 6 appearances for Espanyol. Elche’s top listed scorer is Fer Niño, who has 3 goals in 6 appearances, giving today’s fixture a clear individual scoring reference on each side.

Why it matters

Espanyol must manage a longer unavailable list, with O. El Hilali suspended after a red card and K. Garcia, Jofre and J. Puado out through hamstring, groin and knee injuries; A. Gorosabel is questionable. Elche will be without Y. Santiago because of a knee injury, with today’s result carrying direct weight on a five-point gap and Elche’s bid to move off 20th.