Espanyol vs Real Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Real Madrid's slim hopes of winning the 2025-26 La Liga rubric could officially travel to an extremity this weekend, arsenic they hole to caput to RCDE Stadium to tackle Espanyol.

Los Blancos are presently 2nd successful the La Liga table, 11 points down the leaders Barcelona, portion Espanyol are 13th, 5 points disconnected sixth-placed Getafe, and the Catalan outfit are incredibly inactive waiting for their archetypal triumph of 2026.

Match preview

Espanyol had the look of a top-four broadside successful the archetypal fractional of the campaign, with the White and Blues receiving truthful overmuch praise for the level of their performances, but it has been a antithetic communicative successful 2026 - a twelvemonth that is yet to bring a triumph for the Catalan side.

Indeed, Manolo Gonzalez's broadside person not won since their last lucifer of 2025, drafting six and losing 10 of their 16 games this year, which has seen them driblet down the table.

It is possibly a interaction astonishing that Espanyol person lone dropped to 13th, and they beryllium conscionable 5 points down sixth-placed Getafe, with European shot for adjacent play inactive possible, but their winless tally volition surely person to travel to an extremity this play if that is to beryllium the case.

The White and Blues volition participate this lucifer disconnected the backmost of a goalless gully with Levante, with that effect occurring aft successive defeats to Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano.

Espanyol mislaid 2-0 to Real Madrid successful the reverse lucifer astatine Bernabeu earlier this season, but the corresponding lucifer during the 2024-25 run ended successful a 1-0 triumph for the hosts.

Real Madrid could beryllium 14 points down leaders Barcelona by the clip that this lucifer kicks off, and if Hansi Flick's broadside bash bushed Osasuna connected Saturday, past Los Blancos volition person to triumph present successful bid to support their incredibly-slim rubric hopes alive.

Only a insignificant occurrence volition spot Real Madrid triumph the title from this position, and they person been second-best to their rivals successful 2025-26, winning 5 games less successful the league, portion Barcelona person managed to people 19 times much successful La Liga this term.

Alvaro Arbeloa's broadside person besides fallen abbreviated successful the Champions League this season, losing to Bayern Munich successful the quarter-finals, and it is acceptable to beryllium a disappointing extremity to the run for the superior giants, who volition caput to Barcelona for El Clasico adjacent weekend.

Real Madrid volition participate this lucifer disconnected the backmost of a 1-1 gully with Real Betis, and they person lone been victorious successful 1 of their past six games successful each competitions.

Los Blancos past triumphed distant from location successful the league astatine the commencement of March, and it is simply a large summertime up for the club, who request to name a caller manager and besides code a fig of gaps successful their squad.

Espanyol La Liga form:

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Real Madrid La Liga form:

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Real Madrid signifier (all competitions):

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Team News

Espanyol volition beryllium without the services of Pol Lozano for this match, with the midfielder sent disconnected successful the second stages of the team's goalless gully with Levante past clip out.

Javi Puado is simply a semipermanent absentee owed to a superior genu injury, but the location broadside are different successful beardown signifier for the sojourn of Real Madrid connected Sunday.

Of those who did not commencement against Levante, Roberto Fernandez is the favourite to beryllium introduced into the XI, but the anticipation is that Kike Garcia volition again beryllium fixed the motion done the middle, with the erstwhile perchance impacting the crippled disconnected the bench.

As for Real Madrid, Rodrygo, Eder Militao and Arda Guler are each retired for the remainder of the play with injuries, portion Kylian Mbappe volition beryllium sidelined for astatine slightest this match.

Thibaut Courtois is again apt to miss retired contempt making beardown advancement successful his betterment from a thigh injury, with his instrumentality alternatively expected to travel successful El Clasico.

Aurelien Tchouameni is besides a uncertainty owed to a calf issue, and the Frenchman could beryllium rested, perchance starring to Eduardo Camavinga featuring successful the XI.

Gonzalo Garcia is apt to payment from Mbappe's lack to diagnostic successful the last 3rd of the field, portion Brahim Diaz could besides clasp his spot for the clash astatine RCDE Stadium.

Espanyol imaginable starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Gonzalez, Exposito; Ngonge, Terrats, Milla; K Garcia

Real Madrid imaginable starting lineup:

Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Mendy; Valverde, Bellingham, Camavinga; Diaz, G Garcia, Vinicius

We say: Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid

Espanyol's signifier this twelvemonth has been disastrous, and we are expecting Real Madrid to instrumentality vantage of that successful bid to forestall Barcelona from being crowned champions this weekend.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.