Real Madrid visit Espanyol hoping to keep their faint hopes in the LaLiga title race alive for one more week.
Los Blancos trail leaders Barcelona by 11 points with five games remaining, and that gap could be 14 by the time they kick off, with Hansi Flick’s men visiting Osasuna on Saturday.
If both Barca and Madrid prevail this weekend, then Hansi Flick’s side could clinch the title with a draw in El Clasico next weekend.
Should Madrid fail to win in Catalonia on Sunday, then the title race will not even get that far.
Madrid are not likely to stick with coach Alvaro Arbeloa next season and, though they will want to extend Barca’s wait as long as possible, they are arguably unlikely to have as much motivation as Espanyol.
Indeed, while Espanyol are 13th, they are still only five points above the bottom three and still have work to do to ensure their survival in the top flight.
Espanyol are winless in their last eight matches, but midfielder Edu Exposito gave coach Manolo Gonzalez his backing when speaking to the press on Thursday.
“We’re behind him and we’re going to give it our all in these five matches,” Exposito said.
“We know we have to win because this second half of the season has been awful for us. We’ve had some good games, but also some bad luck. I understand that the fans have high expectations. It’s normal. We’re calm and confident.”
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Team news for Espanyol v Real Madrid
Madrid will be minus Kylian Mbappe because of a hamstring issue, while Rodrygo, Eder Militao and Arda Guler are all out for the rest of the season.
Thibaut Courtois is once again expected to miss out with a thigh injury, while Aurelien Tchouameni is a doubt because of a calf problem.
Espanyol will be without the suspended Pol Lozano and long-term absentee Javi Puado due to a knee injury.
Predicted line-ups for Espanyol v Real Madrid
Espanyol: Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Gonzalez, Exposito; Ngonge, Terrats, Milla; K Garcia
Real Madrid: Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Mendy; Valverde, Bellingham, Camavinga; Diaz, G Garcia, Vinicius
Where to watch Espanyol v Real Madrid: TV and online streams
Espanyol v Real Madrid kicks off at 8:00pm UK time on Sunday.
It will be broadcast on Premier Sports 1 (subscription required) and is also available on the Premier Sports Player.
Bet365 subscribers with funds in their account can watch the game live on the bet365 app and on the website.
Stats for Espanyol v Real Madrid
- Madrid have lost two of their last three away games at Espanyol.
- Los Blancos have not kept a clean sheet in this fixture since a 1-0 win in June 2020.
- With 24 league goals this season, Mbappe has contributed 35.3 per cent of Madrid’s LaLiga tally (68).
- Espanyol have not scored more than one goal in a game since a 2-2 draw with Elche on March 1.
- Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic has made 116 saves in LaLiga this season. Only Aaron Escandell of Oviedo (137) has made more.
Prediction for Espanyol v Real Madrid
Madrid will want to extend Barca’s wait for as long as possible and, even with Mbappe out, they should find a way to do that against the Blaugrana’s city rivals.
Prediction: Espanyol 1-3 Real Madrid
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