Prediction: Espanyol vs Real Madrid

Verdict: Real Madrid to win to Nil

Best Odds: 9/5

Bookmaker: BetVictor

Real Madrid travel to Espanyol in a midweek clash at RCDE Stadium looking to extend their most recent run of results which saw them win five on the trot.

Espanyol

Real Madrid could be coming to town at the worst time for the Catalan side Espanyol. Qique Sanchez Flores’s men are enduring a dismal stretch of form which saw them fail to win any of their last seven matches.

Espanyol are coming off from a mini-run of four straight stalemates and face a stern test against the in-form Los Blancos. Espanyol will have the experienced former Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez to thank to keeping them alive against Deportivo La Coruna last time out but the 36-year-old’s fine form will be put to a great challenge on Tuesday.Espanyol have earned something of a reputation for playing a physical type of football against La Liga’s top teams but high-flying Los Blancos are likely to be too big of a fish for Espanyol to fry. Head-to-Head results against Real Madrid definitely offer little assurance for home side who’s on a 11-match losing run against the reigning champions.

Team News

Home side will have no first-team absentees for the forthcoming fixture.

Spanish forward Jairo Morilla would not be in contention even if he was fit, whereas the same thing can be said to the 19-yea-rold goalkeeper Adrian Lopez Garrote.

Real Madrid

Widely criticized for the lack of form displayed in the first part of the season, Real Madrid seem to be back to their absolute best at the moment.

Los Blancos are Europe’s form team which has been well demonstrated by their empathic wins over Real Sociedad, Betis, Leganes and Alaves, respectively. Zidane’s men scored 17 goals during these four La Liga matches whereas they also have the 3-1 come-from-behind win over Paris Saint-Germain completing the five-match winning streak. An average of four goals per game is definitely a big proof of Real Madrid’s flying form despite the lack of clean sheets which is not expected to be too big of a problem against out-of-sorts Espanyol. Zinedine Zidane has been complimented on his tactical versatility over the past couple of games and should once again be expected to make some changes for Real Madrid’s trip to Barcelona.

Team News

Marcelo is suffering from a muscle problem together with Luka Modric, whereas Jesus Vallejo is ruled out with a thigh injury.

Germany midfielder Toni Kroos is a huge doubt due to his knee problem.

Key Factors to Consider

• Espanyol lost 11 straight matches against Real Madrid
• Home team is coming off from a mini-run of four straight draws
• Real Madrid scored 20 goals in their last five matches
• An average 4 goals per game sounds threatening enough
• Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 14^th goal of the season last weekend

Conclusion

Los Blancos should not have too big of a problem dispatching out-of-form Espanyol in their midweek fixture at RCD Stadium. Zinedine Zidane’s men are in a fantastic shape and are expected to maintain the level of performance in Barcelona as well. We fully expect to see a comfortable win and a with a clean sheet for a change.

Verdict: Real Madrid to win to Nil

Best Odds: 9/5

Bookmaker: BetVictor