Espanyol's Historic Run: Five on the Bounce as Pericos Soar into 2026
Manolo González's men cap off 2025 with a stunning fifth consecutive win at San Mamés, matching a 26-year club record and setting up a mouthwatering derby with Barcelona.
Espanyol’s Historic Run: Five on the Bounce as Pericos Soar into 2026
Manolo González’s Espanyol side are ending 2025 in absolutely stonking form, notching their fifth consecutive La Liga victory with an impressive comeback win at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mamés fortress.
Record-Equalling Run
The Pericos haven’t strung together five league wins on the spin since the 1998-99 campaign under Marcelo Bielsa. It’s proper box office stuff from a side that’s rapidly becoming one of Spanish football’s most compelling stories.
What makes this run even more remarkable is the quality of opposition they’ve dispatched:
- Sevilla
- Celta Vigo
- Rayo Vallecano
- Getafe
- And now Athletic Bilbao
Even more impressively, three of these triumphs have come away from home - no mean feat in a league where home advantage is often worth its weight in gold.
San Mamés Comeback
The Basque hosts initially took the lead through Berenguer, but Espanyol weren’t having any of it. Romero equalized with an absolute peach before the break, and Pere Milla completed the turnaround in the second half to silence the famous cathedral of Spanish football.
González has his team playing with the kind of confidence that suggests they can beat anyone, anywhere, anyhow. They’re like a dog with a bone when it comes to chasing victories.
Barcelona Derby Looms
The timing couldn’t be better for Espanyol as they prepare for their first fixture of 2026 - a tasty derby against Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium on January 3rd.
Currently sitting fifth in the table with 33 points, they’re not just looking up at their city rivals - they’re actually within touching distance of the Champions League spots. Who would’ve Adam and Eve’d it at the start of the season?
If they can extend this run to six consecutive victories - matching their 1998-99 record - by beating Barça, the blue and white half of Barcelona might just be having the knees-up of the decade.