I still have faith in Espanyol. Despite their current four-game losing streak, an unusual run for a team of their stature in La Liga, I expect a highly motivated performance in this crucial home fixture. They’re coming off a heavy defeat in the Barcelona derby and, perhaps more concerning, a dreadful showing against Girona. The first 30 minutes of that match were among the worst I’ve seen from any team in recent memory.

There’s been speculation that the players might be underperforming deliberately to oust the coach, but I find that highly unlikely. This is essentially the same squad that secured promotion last season, and local journalists and reports confirm there are no major internal issues within the team. The real problem lies in a lack of quality, particularly up front, where they struggle without a dependable goal-scorer.

However, at home, Espanyol have shown far more promise. They’ve secured three victories at their stadium, losing only to strong teams like Villarreal and Real Sociedad, or in an unlucky match against Sevilla where they deserved at least a draw. Their best performances have come at home, with wins over Alavés, Rayo Vallecano, and Mallorca—teams comparable to Celta Vigo in quality.

Celta, on the other hand, have been playing well recently but remain hampered by their glaring defensive frailties. They’ve managed to keep a clean sheet in just two games this season—against Las Palmas and Getafe, the league’s weakest attacks. Even in their 1-0 win over Las Palmas, they conceded 1.64 xG and were fortunate to escape with the win. Away from home, their defense has been even shakier, often undone by their aggressive attacking mindset, which has cost them points in several games. Their only road victory this season was a highly fortunate 1-0 win over Las Palmas, where their opponents failed to equalize despite playing with two extra men and creating numerous chances. Apart from that, all their away games have ended in defeat, except for their most recent 2-2 draw with Betis.

This trend is not new for Celta under their current coach. Last season, they managed just four away wins in total. Adding to this, their recent morale boost from a commendable draw against Barcelona could lead to a degree of overconfidence.

Espanyol, in contrast, are likely to come out with far more intensity and urgency, which I believe Celta will struggle to match. For the visitors, a draw wouldn’t be a bad outcome here, especially given their defensive vulnerabilities.

Given the circumstances, I expect Espanyol’s home strength and motivation to prevail, while Celta’s defensive issues and potential complacency could cost them.

我仍然对西班牙人有信心。尽管他们目前四连败，这对于他们在西甲的地位来说是不寻常的，但我希望他们在这场关键的主场比赛中表现得非常积极。他们刚刚在巴萨德比中惨败，也许更令人担忧的是，他们在对阵赫罗纳的比赛中表现糟糕。那场比赛的前30分钟是我在最近的记忆中看到的所有球队中最糟糕的。

有人猜测球员们可能故意表现不佳来罢免教练，但我认为这种可能性很小。从本质上讲，这是上赛季确保晋级的同一支球队，当地记者和报道证实，球队内部没有重大问题。真正的问题在于缺乏质量，特别是在前场，他们在没有可靠的得分手的情况下挣扎。

然而，在国内，西班牙人表现出了更大的希望。他们在主场取得了三场胜利，只输给了比利亚雷亚尔和皇家社会这样的强队，或者在与塞维利亚的一场不幸的比赛中，他们至少应该打平。他们最好的表现是在主场，战胜了与维戈塞尔塔实力相当的阿拉维斯、巴列卡诺和马洛卡队。

另一方面，塞尔塔最近打得很好，但仍然受到他们明显的防守弱点的阻碍。本赛季他们只在两场比赛中保持了零封对手——对阵拉斯帕尔马斯和赫塔菲，这是联赛进攻最弱的球队。即使在1-0战胜拉斯帕尔马斯的比赛中，他们也丢了1.64个球，幸运的是他们赢了。在客场，他们的防守更加不稳定，经常被他们的侵略性进攻心态所破坏，这让他们在几场比赛中损失了分数。他们本赛季唯一的客场胜利是1-0战胜拉斯帕尔马斯，尽管他们的对手多出了两个人并创造了很多机会，但他们还是没能扳平比分。除此之外，他们所有的客场比赛都以失败告终，除了他们最近2-2战平贝蒂斯。

这种趋势对现在的塞尔塔来说并不新鲜。上个赛季，他们总共只取得了4场客场胜利。除此之外，他们最近在对阵巴萨的平局中士气高涨，这可能会导致一定程度的过度自信。

相比之下，西班牙人可能会以更强的强度和紧迫感出场，我相信塞尔塔将很难与之匹敌。对于客队来说，平局并不是一个坏的结果，特别是考虑到他们的防守弱点。

在这种情况下，我预计西班牙人的主场优势和动力会占上风，而塞尔塔的防守问题和潜在的自满可能会让他们付出代价。