Deulofeu eagerly anticipating Espanyol clash

Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu is looking forward to the chance of having a run out against Espanyol and Real Betis because he remains a big fan of La Liga.

Espanyol is the last of six friendlies schedule for the Toffees in pre-season, while they have a chance of taking on Betis depending on results in the Dresden Cup.

Periquitos finished 13th in the Primera Division last season and recently appointed former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores, which leads Deulofeu to believe they will be an ideal opponent to prepare them for the their upcoming Premier League campaign.

"I know these two teams because every week in my house I watch La Liga," Deulofeu told the club's official website. "I have a good friend, Marcos Asensio played for Espanyol, so I watched a lot of their games.

"This year Espanyol have bought good players like Jose Antonio Reyes and Jose Manuel Jurado. This year they will have a good team to fight and play good football.

"Betis is the same. I know one of their players, Ruben Castro, because when I played at Sevilla, Betis play in the same town. We will enjoy playing these games.

"Playing against a Spanish team will be good experience for us. The teams in Spain play with good tactics and have good managers – you can learn from those teams.

"It's the time to prepare and do good work. It's pre-season and it's time to get fit and be ready for the season."

Everton begin the new Premier League season with a tricky home game against Tottenham Hotspur, who finished in a lofty third place last term.