Espanyol and Elche meet at RCDE Stadium hunting for a much-needed win

League standings

Espanyol go into the match in eighth place with 7 points from six rounds (2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses), while visitors Elche sit bottom of the table in 20th place with just 2 points (0 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses). Neither side has shown good form lately: Espanyol have managed only one win, one draw and three losses in their last five matches, while Elche remain winless in their last five outings.

Recent results

Espanyol arrive off the back of a defeat, though sources differ on the opponent. Fubo and the club's official website report a 1-2 loss to Rayo Vallecano at Butarque on Tuesday, with Roberto Fernández scoring Espanyol's goal and defender Omar El Hilali sent off in stoppage time, ruling him out against Elche. Pericos.es, however, refers to a "defeat in Leganés," suggesting a different opponent at the same ground. Coach Manolo González admitted the first-half performance was poor: "We were very poor... We need to be self-critical - myself first and foremost - and compete well against Elche."

Elche's last match saw them fight back from 0-2 down to level against Real Madrid, only to concede a late winner.

Squads

Espanyol will be without the suspended El Hilali, plus injured players Jofre Carreras, K. García and J. Puado. Andoni Gorosabel has been included in a squad for the first time, though Pericos.es notes he could still be a doubt - sources disagree on this point. Elche will miss Yago de Santiago through injury, while Kevin Lomónaco's availability is uncertain; coach Martín Anselmi is considering lineup changes, potentially including Facundo Buonanotte, Morcillo or Cepeda.

History and outlook

Espanyol are unbeaten in the last five meetings between the sides (3 wins, 2 draws), with Elche yet to win any of them. Espanyol's top scorer, Roberto Fernández, has six goals in six league games this season. The match is being played at RCDE Stadium; kickoff time is reported differently across sources - Mundo Deportivo and Pericos.es cite 21:00 local time on Friday, September 18, while another source mentioned an early-morning slot in a different time zone, likely a translation or time-zone discrepancy.