Our prediction for this Copa del Rey match:
Lleida
Match Time & Date:
19/12/2019
01:00 PM
Prediction: 1-2
Espanyol
A place in the Copa del Rey round 2 will be at stake when Lleida Esportiu and Espanyol face each other at Camp d’Esports de Lleida on Thursday evening. Los Periquitos are stuck at the bottom of the La Liga standings, meaning that a win over the Segunda B side is going to give them a confidence boost. The Catalan side are likely to take Thursday’s clash very seriously, and we predict that they are going to prove their worth on the field.
Sergi Darder, who scored a brace in a 2-2 draw with Real Betis, is likely to pose a big threat to the opposition defenders. Lleida Esportiu have been struggling in front of goal of late. The Segunda B team failed to find the net in the previous three league fixtures, meaning that the lack of confidence is likely to prove to a big problem for the hosts in the Copa del Rey showdown.
Highlighted Player (Diego Lopez):
Diego Lopez is a Spanish goalkeeper who plays for Milan in the Serie A. Lopez was born in Paradela on 3 November, 1981 and he played for Lugo during his youth career. He made two appearances for Lugo at senior level as well, but in 2000 he joined Real Madrid.
The 196-cm-tall shoot-stopper played for both Real Madrid C and Real Madrid B and he made just two appearances for the first team during his first spell at Real Madrid. After spending five seasons at Villarreal (2007-2012) the Spanish goalkeeper played for Sevilla in the 2012/2013 La Liga campaign, but he made no more than eight league appearances for los Sevillanos.
He returned to Real Madrid on January, 2013 and he quickly established himself as a first-team regular, replacing Iker Casillas in the starting XI. However, Real Madrid fans wanted to see Iker between the posts and, as a result, Diego Lopez was forced to join Milan in 2014. Lopez has only one cap for Spain national team.
Highlighted Team (Espanyol):
Espanyol are a Catalan club that plays in Spanish La Liga. Espanyol were founded in 1900 and their original name was Sociedad Espanola de Football. In 1901 the Catalan club changed its name to Club Espanol de Futbol. Los Periquitos used to play in bright yellow shirts in the past, but current colour of the team’s home kit is blue and white.
Espanyol’s fiercest rivals are Barcelona and the two teams face each other in the Catalan derby (Derbi barceloni). Espanyol have always been in Barca’s shadow, but it has to be noted that los Periquitos have won four Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup trophies).
The likes of Raul Tamudo, Jose Maria, Antonio Argiles and Mauricio Pochettino are players with most appearances for the Catalan outfit. Espanyol play their home games at Estadio Cornella-El Prat and the capacity of the stadium is 40,500. Los Periquitos have never participated in the Champions League.
Bayern Munich
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Barcelona
Getafe
