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Real Madrid will be looking to put their mid-week UEFA Champions League loss behind them when they square off against Espanyol on Sunday.
Real Madrid are at the top of the La Liga standings, with 17 points from seven matches played so far. They played out a 0-0 draw with Villareal in their last league game and are coming off a disappointing 2-1 home loss against Sheriff Tiraspol.
Meanwhile, Espanyol are 14th in the table with six points from seven matches. They have a record of one win, three losses and three draws in the league. They lost their last game against Sevilla 2-0, a match which saw Thomas Delaney getting sent off in the 65th minute.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head
Espanyol and Real Madrid have played 46 matches against each other, with Los Blancos winning 34 games. Espanyol have six wins to show for their efforts, while six games have ended in stalemates.
The last game between Real Madrid and Espanyol ended in a 1-0 win for the Madrid-based side.
Espanyol form guide (La Liga): L-L-D-W-L
Real Madrid form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-D-L
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Team News
Espanyol
Miguel Llambrich and Javier Puado have been ruled out with injuries, while Oier Olazabal, Fernando Calero and Yangel Herrera remain doubts for the home side.
Injured: Miguel Llambrich and Javier Puado
Doubtful: Oier Olazabal, Fernando Calero and Yangel Herrera
Suspended: None
Real Madrid
Dani Ceballos, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal will all be unavailable for selection this weekend through injury.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti is expected to make multiple changes to the side that played against Sheriff, with Rodrygo, Toni Kross and Lucas Vasquez expected to come into the side.
Injured: Dani Ceballos, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Ferland Mendy, Dani Carvajal
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Predicted XI
Espanyol Predicted XI (4-3-3): Diego Lopez; Oscar Gil, Leandro Cabrera, Sergi Gomez, Adria Pedrosa; David Lopez, Sergi Darder, Manu Morlanes; Aleix Vidal, Raul De Tomas, Adri Embarba
Real Madrid Predicted XI (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Nacho Fernadez; Federico Valverde, Casemiro, Toni Kroos; Vinicius, Karim Benzema, Rodrygo
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction
Real Madrid have been in shaky form lately, but will look to bounce back with a win against Espanyol on Sunday. Their talisman Karim Benzema has been in fine form this season and he will likely be amongst the goals against Espanyol.
We predict that Real Madrid will beat Espanyol by a narrow margin.
Prediction: Espanyol 0-1 Real Madrid
