Despite having one of the youngest squads of LaLiga SmartBank at the moment (awaiting the final reconfiguration three the closing of the market), Espanyol was one of the teams that had a more veteran line-up on the first day against Albacete. Vicente Moreno placed the most experienced players on the pitch. In fact, except for Oier Olazábal and Sergi Darder, the rest of the starters are the most veteran, with the exception of Óscar Melendo.
The team average was 28.5 years, well above the parakeet average of 26.1, the fourth lowest ahead of Mirandés, Almería and Oviedo. Espanyol approached even the most veteran squad, CE Sabadell, with an average of 28.8 years. Without being conditioned by the market or by the minutes accumulated during the preseason, the Valencian coach will repeat the formula against Mallorca.
In goal, Diego López, who will turn 39 in November and has 389 professional football matches. The defensive line has players like Dídac Vilà (31), Leandro Cabrera (29), Fernando Calero (24) and Miguelón (24). Between all of them they accumulate 581 matches between First and Second. The midfield, formed by David López (30) and Fran Mérida (30) add 467 games. They are two classics of Spanish football.
The attack does not fall short. Adrián Embarba (28), Raúl de Tomás (26), Óscar Melendo (23) and Wu Lei (29) add 523 matches in professional football. Espanyol's line-up has an average of 178 games in professional leagues on average for each player.