Espanyol vs Real Madrid: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction
By Max Cooper
Real Madrid aim to get back to winning ways when they travel to Catalonia to take on Espanyol on Sunday, following two poor results in La Liga and the Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti's men have made the best start to the new season of all the Spanish clubs, although they were held to a 0-0 draw by Villarreal in their last domestic outing, and then suffered the humiliation of a shock 2-1 home defeat to Moldovan minnows Sheriff.
The Italian coach will want to see a good reaction from his players on Sunday, and they'll fancy their chances against an Espanyol side that have hardly set the world alight in La Liga thus far.
The stage is set for Madrid to continue their title challenge against the Budgerigars, but weaknesses in their play have begun to rear their heads. Can they return to the winning road?
Here's 90min's preview of the big game.
How to watch Espanyol vs Real Madrid on TV/live stream
When is kick off? Sunday 3 October, 15:15 (BST)
Where is the match being played? RCDE Stadium
TV channel/live stream? La Liga TV (UK) ESPN + (US)
Referee? TBC
Real Madrid team news
Ancelotti may decide to make a few changes to the side which lost to Sheriff in midweek, but injuries in key positions leave little room for manoeuvre. However, Lucas Vazquez could be set for a return to action, solving the main problem of the right-back role.
His return means Federico Valverde could be moved into the midfield, although he is facing the stern competition of Luka Modric for that spot. Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr may man the flanks again, while Karim Benzema is the first name on the team sheet.
Espanyol team news
Newly-promoted Espanyol could be left to deal without Miguel Llambrich, while Manchester City loanee Yangel Herrera faces a race against time to be fit for this big clash.
Manu Morlanes could step into the midfield, while former Blancos youth star Raul De Tomas should lead the line.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid predicted lineups
Espanyol: Diego Lopez; Gil, Cabrera, Gomez, Pedrosa; David Lopez, Darder, Morlanes; Vidal, De Tomas, Embarba
Real Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Alaba, Nacho, Modric, Casemiro, Asensio; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Espanyol vs Real Madrid head-to-head record
Madrid boast a decent four-game winning streak over Espanyol in La Liga, and will be hoping to extend that run to five matches at the weekend. Their last meeting in 2020 ended in a 1-0 victory for Los Blancos, with Casemiro the unlikely hero on the day.
Espanyol's last league success over Real came in 2018, when an injury-time winner from Gerard Moreno handed the underdogs all three points. That win remains Espanyol's only points claimed against Madrid in 10 meetings however, with the Spanish giants cruising to nine victories in that time.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid score prediction
Madrid don't go too many games without a win, and two in all competitions is a streak they tend to snap out of very quickly. Espanyol are still adapting to life back in the top flight, and while the fans will be up for this one, the players face a huge challenge.
In the end, we see Madrid's individual quality being enough to edge them to victory, but they may struggle to run away with it. When Benzema is involved, there are always goals, so we fancy a 2-1 win for the away side on Sunday.
Prediction: Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid