A First Division final for Espanyol

Finals are usually about titles, but Espanyol is facing its own final today with the grand prize of staying in the First Division next season. This is a trophy of immense value for the club and the Perica fans , who have suffered relegation twice in the last five seasons out of six in their history.

Before the current campaign began, with renewed hope following their promotion in the playoff against Oviedo, no one predicted that Espanyol would be virtually safe with seven games remaining. The heroic second half of the season by Manolo González's team had brought premature relief to the Espanyol, but not to the Lugo-born coach. After the last La Liga victory against Getafe at the RCDE Stadium on April 18, González said they wouldn't celebrate their survival until it was completely sealed. How right the Blue and White coach was, aware that suffering is part of the Espanyol DNA.

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And it won't be the first time Espanyol find themselves with the noose around their neck on the final matchday. Coro's last-gasp goal against Real Sociedad , which confirmed the Blue and Whites' survival in 2006, will forever be etched in their fans' memories. Two years earlier, Luis Fernández's team had already had to play a final against Murcia, which they won with two late goals from Raúl Tamudo and Alberto Lopo. However, the last time Espanyol had something to lose on the final matchday of the Primera División, it wasn't with the noose around their neck, but rather with the hope of returning to Europe under Rubi in 2019. This goal was achieved with a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad.

"I'm sure Espanyol will be in the First Division next season." Manolo González

Espanyol is once again appealing to the Cornellà-El Prat fortress to secure the three points that will definitively secure peace. The Blue and Whites are the eleventh-best team in La Liga at home with seven wins, six draws, and five losses. Facing them is a Las Palmas side coached by Diego Martínez, a familiar face to the Perica fans. The Vigo-born coach took over the reins of the Canary Islands team in October 2024, but has been unable to turn around the situation of a team that was mathematically relegated two matches ago.

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Manolo González's squad will depend on itself to stay in the league, and if they fail to overcome Las Palmas, they will need Leganés to avoid a win against Valladolid, who are bottom of the table and have picked up just one point in the second half of the season. The Blue and Whites' manager stated in the pre-match press conference that Espanyol "will be in the First Division next season" and that they are "completely unaware of what happens at Leganés" because "what happens will be determined by Espanyol."

The charismatic coach of the blue and whites perceives the "confidence" of a team that will have to "give everything it has" to inspire a devoted fan base that has "always" supported them.

"Anyone who doesn't give everything they have inside doesn't deserve to be a footballer or a coach." Manolo González

In addition to the confirmed absences of Kumbulla due to an accumulation of yellow cards and Brian Oliván due to injury, the Lugo-born coach confirmed that Walid Cheddira will be a doubt until the final whistle. Meanwhile, Diego Martínez has not selected Sandro Ramírez, Fábio Silva, or Alberto Moleiro, three of the Canary Islands' best players.

Espanyol is looking for a victory that will seal salvation in front of its home crowd to avoid the club's seventh relegation and allow Manolo González's project to continue advancing among the elite of Spanish football next season.