Racing Santander host Espanyol at Estadio El Sardinero on October 24 in Matchday 10 of the La Liga regular season, with kickoff at 14:15 UTC. Ten rounds in, the season is taking shape, and the table has Espanyol 13th and Racing Santander 16th. The two sides are separated by three places, and neither has much room to drift.

Recent form is the most telling factor. Both teams have the same five-match league record of one win, one draw and three defeats. Racing Santander's last five matches produced six goals scored and 17 conceded. The defensive figures are heavily shaped by two away heavy defeats, 7-2 at Barcelona on September 16 and 5-0 at Celta Vigo on September 19. They followed those with a 2-2 home draw against Valencia on October 11, then lost 2-0 at Osasuna on October 18. Espanyol's numbers are tighter, with five goals scored and seven conceded across the same span. They won 2-0 at Osasuna on September 12 but have not won since. Their results since then are a 2-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano, a 3-1 home loss to Elche, a 1-1 draw at Malaga and a 1-0 home loss to Atletico Madrid on October 17.

The head-to-head record adds some context. Of the six meetings in the data, Espanyol won three, Racing Santander two and one was drawn. Racing Santander won the most recent one 2-0 on February 10, 2024.

Neither club has reported unavailable players, so José Alberto López and Manolo González can both pick from full squads. That makes tactical choices and the shape of each side the main variables. Racing Santander used a 4-2-3-1 in their last game, while Espanyol lined up in a 5-4-1.

Two teams chasing their first league win since mid-September meet in a matchup with clear stakes for the early table.