Real Madrid - Espanyol: Real Madrid aims to extend their winning streak
Real Madrid will face Espanyol in the fifth round of La Liga. The clash is set for Saturday, September 20, with kickoff scheduled for 16:15 CET. Here’s my betting tip for this exciting matchup.
Real Madrid - Espanyol: match preview
Last season, Real Madrid finished without any silverware and missed out on the Spanish championship. The club made a coaching change: Xabi Alonso took over from Carlo Ancelotti as head coach. At the FIFA Club World Cup, Madrid crashed out in the semifinals, suffering a 0-4 defeat to PSG, but their start to the new campaign has been highly promising. Los Blancos have won all four of their La Liga fixtures so far: a 1-0 victory over Osasuna, a 3-0 win against Real Oviedo, a 2-1 triumph over Mallorca, and a 2-1 result against Real Sociedad. This week, Madrid kicked off their UEFA Champions League run with a 2-1 win over Marseille. As a result, they boast a perfect record: 12 points from 12 and top spot in the table.
Espanyol lost their first-choice goalkeeper to Barcelona in the transfer window. Despite this setback, the Catalan side has started the La Liga season in impressive fashion. They opened with a 2-1 win over Atlético Madrid, followed by a 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad. In the third round, they edged Osasuna 1-0, and in their latest outing, Espanyol, down to ten men, snatched a thrilling 3-2 victory over Mallorca. After four rounds, Espanyol sit third in the standings with 10 points.
Match facts and head-to-head statistics
- Real Madrid have won six games in a row.
- Espanyol are unbeaten in 12 matches: nine wins and three draws.
- Espanyol have scored at least once in nine consecutive matches, while Real Madrid have done so in six straight games.
- In their most recent head-to-head, Espanyol defeated Real Madrid 1-0—their only win in the last five encounters.
Probable lineups
- Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Asencio, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni; Mastantuono, Guler, Vinicius; Mbappe
- Espanyol: Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Dolan, Lozano, Gonzalez de Zarate, Puado; K Garcia, Fernandez
Prediction
Real Madrid are in fantastic form and host Espanyol at the Bernabéu. I believe the home side will secure another victory and suggest betting on Real Madrid’s individual total over 2.5 goals at odds of 1.73.
