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Espanyol are set to play Real Madrid at Estadi Cornellà-El Prat on Sunday in La Liga.
Espanyol come into this game on the back of a 2-0 loss to ten-man Rayo Vallecano. Goals from winger Isi Palazon and Senegalese midfielder Pathe Ciss secured the win for Andoni Iraola's Rayo Vallecano, who had French centre-back Florian Lejeune sent off in the first half. Espanyol had centre-back Sergi Gomez sent off.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, beat Eduardo Coudet's Celta Vigo 4-1 in their most recent league game. Goals from superstar striker Karim Benzema, veteran Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, Brazilian attacker Vinicius Junior and Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde sealed the deal for Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid. Striker Iago Aspas scored the goal for Celta Vigo.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head
In 29 head-to-head encounters between the two sides, Real Madrid hold a clear advantage. They have won 24 games, lost two and drawn three.
The two clubs last faced each other earlier this year, with Real Madrid beating Espanyol 4-0. A first-half brace from Brazilian attacker Rodrygo Goes and second-half goals from winger Marco Asensio and French striker Karim Benzema ensured victory for Real Madrid.
Espanyol form guide in La Liga: L-D
Real Madrid form guide in La Liga: W-W
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Team News
Espanyol
Espanyol could be without former Real Madrid striker Raul de Tomas, left-back Adria Pedrosa and midfielder Pol Lozano. Centre-back Sergi Gomez is suspended. Other than that, there are no known issues and manager Diego Martinez is expected to have a fully fit squad at his disposal.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Pol Lozano, Raul de Tomas, Adria Pedrosa
Suspended: Sergi Gomez
Real Madrid
Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti could be without experienced German midfielder Toni Kroos and Brazil international Rodrygo Goes.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Rodrygo Goes, Toni Kroos
Suspended: None
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Predicted XI
Espanyol Predicted XI (4-3-3): Benjamin Lecomte, Oscar Gil, Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Brian Olivan, Edu Exposito, Vinicius Souza, Sergi Darder, Keidi Bare, Joselu, Nico Melamed
Real Madrid Predicted XI (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior
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Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction
Espanyol finished 14th last season, with striker Raul de Tomas' form throughout the season seeing him attract interest from clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, won the league last time around. It is clear that Real Madrid are slowly building a younger squad, with established names like Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Casemiro, who have helped them win multiple trophies in recent years, all leaving the club. Kylian Mbappe might have turned them down, but young talents like Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo ensure that the club have a solid base to build another great squad.
Real Madrid will be the favorites to win.
Prediction: Espanyol 0-2 Real Madrid
