Real Oviedo vs Espanyol Prediction: Go against the stats and back BTTS

The Friday night La Liga action this week comes from the Estadio Carlos Tartiere where the home side welcome in mid-table Espanyol. Premier Sports 1 is your TV channel to tune into for this one, with kick-off set for 20:00.

Our La Liga Betting Expert has penned our preview for this clash and thinks both goalkeepers will have to do some work - even though the stats suggest otherwise but maybe that is because a new man is in town overseeing the side. Read all about it and check out Mark's Real Oviedo vs Espanyol Predictions here at Betfred Insights...

*You can check out all the Football Odds and markets on offer with us over at betfred.com

Match Preview:

It has been a whirlwind fortnight at Real Oviedo, who have sacked their coach Veljko Paunović and reappointed Luis Carrión since they last played. The new man begins his second term against Espanyol, the team he also faced in the final match of his previous spell. 

As early season dismissals go, Oviedo's decision to get rid of Paunović seems particularly harsh. The 48-year-old was appointed in March and guided the Asturians to promotion from the Segunda División via the play-offs, ending the club's 24-year wait for top-flight football. 

With Real Madrid and Barcelona among their opening eight opponents, it was always going to be a tough start for the newly promoted club, but they did head into the break one place outside the relegation zone. Having beaten Valencia away in what turned out to be his penultimate match, Paunović has every reason to feel aggrieved by the club's decision. 

The controversy doesn't end there, with the reappointment of Carrión also angering many fans. The Catalan coach did an excellent job at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere during the 2023/24 season, but was believed to have negotiated his departure to join Las Palmas, even before Oviedo lost in the play-off final against Espanyol. 

He was subsequently dismissed by the Canary Islanders after a winless nine matches in charge. The reception he gets on Friday night will be very interesting to watch, and it's safe to say that he could do with a positive start if he wants to win these fans over again. 

There has been no such drama at Espanyol, who now feel quite a settled club with Manolo González doing a solid job at the helm. He kept them up on the final day of last season, and has managed to get a bit more out of his squad so far this term. 

The Periquitos started with 10 points from their opening four matches, including a surprise 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid on the first weekend. They've lost two and drawn two since then, with their last outing ending in a disappointing 2-1 home defeat against Real Betis. 

Manolo has managed to get a bit more out of some of his existing players, including Edu Expósito and Pere Milla, who has chipped in with three goals in six appearances. He's also benefitted from some pretty good recruitment on what was a small budget, despite the big money sale of goalkeeper Joan García to rivals Barcelona. 

English winger Tyrhys Dolan has been impressive following his move from Blackburn, starting seven of their eight fixtures. He has added some pace on the right flank, while Marko Dmitrović has been a safe pair of hands in goal. Their new 22-year-old defender Clemens Riedel has also looked assured in recent games. 

Team News: 

The expectation is that Oviedo will be slightly more adventurous under their new coach, who favours a ball-playing approach. That could benefit some of their more technical players, although one of those, Santi Cazorla, will miss this game due to an injury. Long-term absentee Álvaro Lemos is the only other player they'll likely have to do without on Friday night. 

Espanyol will be hoping to ruin Carrión's return, which would immediately put a degree of pressure on the 46-year-old. The visitors are expected to be at full strength, with the significant exception of key man Javi Puado, who is not expected back before December due to a knee injury. 

That will force them into at least one change from the side that lost to Betis a fortnight ago. Manolo could respond in various different ways, but he may look for a bit more solidity in midfield by bringing in Urko González de Zárate. 

Match Odds: 

There's not much to choose between the teams in the Match Result market, with Espanyol the slight favourites at 6/4. You can back the Draw at 2/1, while Real Oviedo are priced at 21/10. 

The hosts are yet to draw a match this season, and they'll be hoping their new boss can spark a bit more life into their attacking play. They are priced at 9/4 to score over 1.5 goals here, while they are on offer at 6/5 to be the first team to score. 

You can back Espanyol to win and Over 2.5 goals at odds of 7/2. Meanwhile, the away team are priced at 11/4 to win the game to nil. 

Visiting striker Roberto Fernández leads the way as the 9/2 favourite to score first, while he's on offer at 9/5 to score anytime. You can also back in-form Milla to strike at some point in the game at odds of 12/5. 

From a home perspective, Salomón Rondón may be the most likely source of a goal. The Venezuelan broke his La Liga duck by scoring in the win at Mestalla on matchday seven. He's on offer at 6/1 to score first, and 12/5 to score anytime. 

You can bet on this match via our Real Oviedo vs Espanyol Odds page on the main betfred.com website, with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Bet 1 - Both teams to score @ 1/1 

Whether Oviedo are a better team under Carrión remains to be seen, but they should certainly be a more entertaining one. His Las Palmas side actually played some good football at the start of last season, despite their failure to win. Both teams scored in seven of their nine matches under Carrión's guidance. 

The new man is likely to encourage his players to take a few more risks, and that could lead to this being a slightly more open game than many are expecting. Both sides have some talented players on the flanks, who should ensure there are chances at each end. I'm backing Both teams to score at 1/1. 

Bet 2 - Real Oviedo or Draw & Over 3.5 Real Oviedo corners @ 23/20 

The Oviedo board will be hoping for a new manager bounce, and any kind of negativity towards their appointment should subside once the action starts. The change may be good news for winger Ilyas Chaira, perhaps the most technically-gifted player in this squad, with the obvious exception of Cazorla. 

Assuming Carrión isn't planning on relying heavily on the 40-year-old, the returning Oviedo boss ought to be able to field what he views as his strongest lineup. That will give them a good chance of competing well in the kind of fixture they may need to win if they want to stay up. 

Espanyol have suffered a dip in form, and they are averaging 6.0 corners conceded per away game so far. Given that, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Real Oviedo or Draw and Over 3.5 Real Oviedo corners at 23/20. 

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Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

• Points Staked: 57
• Points Returned: 52.08
• P/L: -4.92

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...