Real Madrid travel to the RCDE Stadium for a La Liga fixture against Espanyol as they look to bounce back from a disappointing UEFA Champions League defeat to debutants FC Sheriff. Madrid have looked a different class in Spain and should maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Espanyol are coming off a 2-0 defeat at Sevilla in their previous fixture in La Liga. They fell behind early and despite playing much of the second half against 10 men, went on to concede a second goal three minutes from time.
It has been a poor start to the season for Espanyol, who have claimed just one win from their opening six matches. Vincente Moreno’s men have suffered three defeats this term and are currently down in the bottom half of the table.
Espanyol often struggle against the big teams and aside from the defeat to Sevilla, they were also beaten 2-1 at home by Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid appear to be going through a mini slump as they are winless in their last two matches. They were held to a 0-0 draw by Villarreal before suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to debutants Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Champions League.
Despite stuttering in recent weeks, Real Madrid are still unbeaten in La Liga this season and are setting the pace at the top of the table. They have won five of their seven matches and are likely to make amends for their midweek shock loss.
Real Madrid have been excellent in attack under manager Carlo Ancelotti and can count a 5-2 victory over Celta Vigo and a 6-1 triumph against Mallorca among their results this season. However, they have shown some vulnerability in defence and have conceded in three of their last four matches.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid are considered favourites among the bookies with Sport Nation offering 5/7 for a home win. A victory for Espanyol is valued at 41/10 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 16/5 with betway.
Head to head
Real Madrid have a 40-8 advantage with six draws from 54 previous matches against Espanyol. Los Blancos have won the last four meetings and triumphed 1-0 on their last visit to the RCDE Stadium.
Players to watch
Raul de Tomas often features in attack for Espanyol and has scored two goals this season. The forward is priced at 9/4 by Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
As always Karim Benzema will be the one to watch for Real Madrid as he looks to add to his eight La Liga goals this season. The French striker was on target in the Champions League and Paddy Power is offering 11/10 on the striker to score anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Madrid have shown their quality in attack this season and with a comfortable victory expected for the visitors, a -1 handicap can be considered at 15/8 Vbet. Los Blancos could also be tipped to win both halves at 17/5 with MansionBet.
Real Madrid are also likely to score in both halves at 31/20 with betfair. Both teams have a penchant for scoring late goals so the second half could be picked as the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This La Liga match between Espanyol and Real Madrid will be played on Oct 3, 2021 and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Espanyol vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
