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Real Madrid are set to continue their crucial run of LaLiga Santander fixtures with a trip to the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona. Their hosts for the night, Espanyol, currently sit at the bottom of the table and are eight points away from 17th-placed Eibar.
Zinedine Zidane's men continued their fine form LaLiga with a comfortable 2-0 away to Real Mallorca. Goals from Vinicius Jr and skipper Sergio Ramos sealed the game and all three points, helping Real Madrid stay atop Barcelona. The latter were two points ahead of Los Blancos until their tip to Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, where they were held to a 0-0 draw by Sevilla.
Real Madrid capitalised on Barcelona's loss returned to the summit of the Spanish top-flight. Although they're level on points with Barcelona, their superior head-to-head record against the Catalans gives them an edge.
Espanyol, on the other hand, have lost a whopping 17 fixtures out of their 31 so far. With the worst point tally and goal difference, it appears to be only a matter of time before their relegation is confirmed.
Espanyol v Real Madrid Head-to-head
Unfortunately for Los Periquitos, there is a staggering difference in the quality of players available at Abelardo Fernandez's disposal to that of Zidane's.
Real Madrid have emerged victorious in all of the two sides' last six meetings in LaLiga, winning by an aggregate scoreline of 12-2. The two goals scored by Espanyol came in a six-goal thriller which ended 4-2, which means that the hosts have failed to score in five out of these six fixtures.
It would be a surprise should Espanyol manage to find the target given that they average just 0.87 goals per 90 minutes this year. Real Madrid, on the other hand, average nearly two goals a game.
Espanyol form guide: L-L-D-W-L
Real Madrid form guide: W-W-W-W-L
Espanyol v Real Madrid Team News
The home side will be boosted by the return of new recruit Raul de Tomas from his knee injury. The striker notched up four goals in seven games since his arrival from Benfica in the winter transfer window. More importantly, it would be a special occasion for the Spaniard as he faces his former club Real Madrid.
Real Madrid have a wealth of options to choose from, and Zidane has already shown that he isn't afraid to shuffle his pack. For the second consecutive week, the Real Madrid boss called upon peripheral players James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale to start the game. However, Marco Asensio could make his first start since almost a year against Espanyol.
Given that they're up against the lowest-ranked team in the league, Zidane may rest Real Madrid's talisman Karim Benzema. The French forward has been in spectacular form but could do with some rest having played all of Los Blancos' games since the restart. Mariano Diaz could be called upon for a rare start. Sergio Ramos could potentially be rested as well ahead of their game against Getafe.
Injuries: Luka Jovic (foot), Lucas Vasquez (calf), Nacho (Hamstring)
Suspensions: Luka Modric (accumulation of yellow cards)
Doubtful/risk of suspension: Ferland Mendy (four yellow cards)
Espanyol v Real Madrid Predicted XI
Espanyol Predicted XI (4-4-2): Diego Lopez; Javi Lopez, Bernardo Espinosa, Leandro Cabrera, Didac Vila; Oscar Melendo, David Lopez, Marc Roca, Sergi Darder; Wu Lei, Raul de Tomas
Real Madrid Predicted XI (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Eder Militao, Marcelo; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde; Eden Hazard, Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio
Espanyol v Real Madrid Prediction
Real Madrid's surreal form since the restart of the LaLiga season suggests that it could be a long and painful evening for Espanyol. Los Blancos are far from the ideal team they would want to play with relegation on the horizon and just a handful of fixtures left. Despite Real Madrid potentially fielding a relatively weakened side to play LaLiga's bottom club, it should be more than enough to register a win in Barcelona.
Prediction: Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid
