Fifth-place Espanyol welcomes sixteenth-place Deportivo Alavés to the RCDE Stadium for a crucial La Liga fixture on Friday evening, January 30, 2026. The hosts sit comfortably in the European places, while the visitors are battling just above the relegation zone. Managed by Manolo González, Espanyol are clear favorites at home, but Alavés under Eduardo Coudet will fight hard for valuable points in their push for survival.
Espanyol's recent form has been inconsistent. They suffered a 3-2 away loss to Valencia on Saturday. That result followed a 0-2 home defeat to Girona on January 16 and a 1-1 draw at Levante on January 11. Their last win was 2-0 away at Granada on January 4. Key players will need to sharpen their focus to secure maximum points at home and consolidate their top-five position.
Deportivo Alavés enters the match in challenging form, winning their last league match 2-1 at home against Real Betis on Sunday. Before that victory, they lost 0-1 at Atlético Madrid on January 18 and 1-3 away to Villarreal on January 10. They sit in 16th place in the standings, desperate to add distance from the bottom three. The team's away form has been particularly poor this season.
Espanyol holds a historical edge, winning four of the last six head-to-head encounters, though Alavés secured a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture on November 2. Espanyol are unbeaten in their last nine home matches against Alavés across all competitions. Recent history suggests a tight contest at the RCDE Stadium.
My model predicts Over 1.5 Goals at odds of 1.50 decimal. The model probability stands at 77.07%, with a correct score prediction of 2-1. Expected goals project Espanyol at 1.58 and Deportivo Alavés at 1.15. Alavés has conceded 18 of their 26 league goals this season after the half-time break.