Espanyol’s quest for its first win of 2026 will continue on Monday night when it hosts Real Oviedo at the RCDE Stadium.

The Catalan team is seventh in the standings LaLiga tablefour points behind Celta de Vigo, sixth placed, while Oviedo is in last place in the division, 10 points behind Alavés, 17th placed.

Match preview

Espanyol finished 2025 with five consecutive league victories, and it was an excellent first half of the campaign for the blue and white, but to date it has been an incredibly disappointing 2026 for the Catalan team, which has fallen out of the European places.

Manolo González’s team has only managed to score three points in its last nine games, one of them in the last 2-2 draw against Elche.

Espanyol have earned 36 points from their 26 league games this season, placing them seventh in the table, four points behind sixth-placed Celta.

The blue and white have picked up 20 points from their 13 home league games this season, while Oviedo only managed to win once on their travels in 2025-26.

Espanyol recorded a 2-0 victory over Oviedo in the first leg earlier this season, so they will be looking to complete a league double against the Blues.

Oviedo has lost three of its last four games against Espanyol, while failing to beat the Catalan team on the road since September 1991.

There is no ignoring the fact that it has been a tough campaign for the Blues, who are operating at this level of football for the first time since 2000-01.

Guillermo Almada’s side come into this match off the back of a 3-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano, having lost three of their last four in Spain’s top flight.

Oviedo have a record of three wins, eight draws and 15 losses in their 26 league games this season, with 17 points leaving them bottom of the table, 10 points behind 17th-place Alavés, so survival is a difficult task at this stage of the process.

Finding the back of the net has been a real problem this season, only scoring 16 times in 26 games, which is the worst offensive record in the division.

Espanyol’s form in LaLiga:

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Real Oviedo’s form in La Liga:

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Team news

Espanyol will once again be without the services of long-term absentee Javi Puado through injury, while Antoniu Roca faces a late fitness test.

The Catalan team will also be without Charles Pickel and Edu Expósito on Monday due to suspension, as the former was sent off against Elche last time, while the latter received an important yellow card in the same match.

Kike García has scored seven goals in all competitions this season and the experienced attacker is expected to maintain his place in the starting team.

As for Real Oviedo, David Costas, Eric Bailly, Ovie Ejaria, Thiago Borbas and Leander Dendoncker face late physical tests.

Federico Viñas has scored five goals in La Liga this season and there will be another place in the final third of the field for the 27-year-old.

Santi Cazorla is an option to come into midfield, but the experienced attacker is likely to remain among the substitutes until the opening whistle.

Espanyol’s possible starting lineup:

Dmitrović; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Lozano, Zárate; Dolan, Terrats, Milla; K Garcia

Possible starting lineup for Real Oviedo:

Scandel; Vidal, Carmo, Calvo, López; Fonseca, Sibo; Hassan, Reina, Chaira; vineyards

We say: Espanyol 2-1 Real Oviedo

Espanyol’s first victory in 2026 could be about to arrive; Oviedo have found it difficult to compete at this level of football and, although it should be close in terms of the score, we expect Espanyol to get the three points on Monday.

For a data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match, click here.