Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream and TV Info
Real Madrid travel to Catalonia on Sunday to take on Espanyol at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat in the penultimate weekend of action in La Liga.
For the hosts, the meeting is critically important for the club's European ambitions. Currently in ninth place on the league table, Sergio Gonzalez's men trail seventh-placed Malaga by one point and could secure a Europa League place (assuming Barcelona defeat Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final) if they're able to overtake the Andalusians.
Such an opportunity has been created by a strong run in the Primera Division for the Catalans, who've lost just once in their last 10 league games after falling to 12th on the table in Week 28.
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Of course, a visit from the defending European champions means that points will be hard to come by for Espanyol, but the home side might like their chances of inflicting more damage on a wounded Real Madrid outfit.
Indeed, this week's Champions League exit at the hands of Juventus was a significant blow for Los Blancos, who, barring a significant slip-up from Barcelona in La Liga, will now end the 2014-15 season without any major silverware.
As such, it will be intriguing to see how Real Madrid respond to that disappointment on Sunday, as they prepare to meet a side who still have a lot on the line.
Line-up-wise, it's likely we'll see an XI that's close to Carlo Ancelotti's best, with Cristiano Ronaldo, who was seen in discomfort at the end of the Juventus clash, expected to make the trip east, per Manu Sainz AS. Of the team that faced the Italian champions, only Sergio Ramos is unavailable, having suffered a calf injury.
Date: Sunday, May 17
Time: 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. local
Venue: Estadi Cornella-El Prat, Barcelona
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)
Form Lines
| W: 2-0 vs. Eibar | D: 1-1 vs. Juventus |
| D: 1-1 vs. Rayo Vallecano | D: 2-2 vs. Valencia |
| W: 2-1 vs. Granada | L: 1-2 vs. Juventus |
| L: 0-2 vs. Barcelona | W: 3-2 vs. Sevilla |
| D: 2-2 vs. Levante | W: 3-0 vs. Almeria |
| W: 1-0 vs. Athletic Bilbao | W: 4-2 vs. Celta Vigo |
Predicted Formations
Player to Watch
The last time Gareth Bale faced Espanyol, his 90 minutes were a neat encapsulation of his season.
In the opening half, his brilliant diagonal ball to Ronaldo set up James Rodriguez's opener, before his thunderous free-kick doubled Real's lead.
But after the interval, the Welshman drew the ire of Ronaldo and the Bernabeu crowd, when he turned down the chance to tee up the Portuguese and go alone himself when through on goal—a decision that resulted in a squandered opportunity.
From that point until the end of the contest, he was whistled at and jeered. All his good work undone and forgotten.
After a frustrating game against Juventus, can Bale turn the narrative around?
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Espanyol: 25-4
Draw: 7-2
Real Madrid: 1-3
