Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
Real Madrid are already playing catch-up in the title race in La Liga, trailing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by two points. This weekend they will seek to close that gap on at least one of them, as they look to take victory at Espanyol.
While not exactly facing an easy opponent, Real will be mindful that they have at times been able to waltz past Espanyol without breaking too much of a sweat—the 3-0 last season at the Santiago Bernabeu, for example, was one of the tamest performances Espanyol put in all season.
Rafael Benitez is likely to make a few changes to his Real side on account of injuries, both enforced and preventative. Marca reported Denis Cheryshev had missed out on the matchday squad, but Lucas Vazquez, Casemiro and Mateo Kovacic were all included—at least one of those could end up making their first start of the season on Saturday.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't yet found the back of the net for Real this term, but the boss isn't worried about such factors; per Marca, he is sure that the No. 7 will soon strike lucky. "The player who shoots at goal more than any other player in the league is Cristiano Ronaldo, and what with his quality, and all the work he puts in, we're sure he is going to score lots of goals again this season."
Squad player Alvaro Arbeloa, not likely to be a starter unless Benitez shuffles his pack more than expected, has spoken to the club's official website (per BBC Sport) about the atmosphere in the dressing room under the new manager.
"Following a year in which we failed to meet targets, we know this year is very important. Our target is to win everything. We know that will be very difficult, that expectations are high, but anything other than aspiring to win all the titles is not good enough at this club.
While you might hear that certain people aren't happy with him or that he shows more affection to certain players, nothing surprises me anymore; It doesn't matter which manager we have because there will always be people out there looking to portray an image of the team that isn't true. The team is more united than ever.
"
That togetherness will be very much required over the course of the season if Real are to finally land a long overdue La Liga title.
Date: Saturday, September 12
Time: 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET)
Venue: Estadi Cornella-El Prat
TV Info: BeIN Sports en Espanol (U.S.), Canal+ Liga (ESP)
Live Stream: BeIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)
The Teams
Espanyol have begun the Liga season with a defeat on the road and a win at home—now they'll hope to keep up that trend against the odds. The loss to Villarreal last week wouldn't exactly have been unexpected, but the manner of it—three second-half goals, two of them in the last five minutes of the game—would have been tough to take.
Still, the opening-day win over Getafe provides encouragement and the key for Espanyol will be to not simply roll over against Real as they have done on previous occasions.
Despite losing Sergio Garcia over the summer, Espanyol have done well enough with their recruitment that they should be thinking a top-half finish is very much attainable, especially if they get Gerard Moreno involved plenty in their offensive play.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, expect nothing less than three points each and every game.
They did that last time out, swatting aside Real Betis by a 5-0 scoreline, and that was really the culmination of a number of matches beforehand where the final ball or the actual shot wasn't quite of the calibre required. Even when not scoring in pre-season and on the opening day, Real's build-up play was impressive and it was clear what new manager Rafael Benitez was attempting to do.
With Champions League football starting up soon there is every chance the manager will opt to swap things around with his personnel, making sure Real have a competitive XI out in every game.
Team News
Espanyol don't have too much to worry about—the XI that they started with last time out at Villarreal are all fit and ready to go, with both Moreno and Felipe Caicedo able to take part in a two-man attack if manager Sergio opts to keep faith with the offensive formation he has started the season with.
One interesting storyline from Espanyol's point of view is Marco Asensio—on loan from Real Madrid, but he has not come off the bench in either match so far for the Barcelona-based side.
Real have suffered during the international break, with James Rodriguez and Danilo both picking up injuries that will force them to miss game time. It's a case of straight-swap in both positions, with Isco and Dani Carvajal likely to come in at right midfield and right-back, respectively, leaving Gareth Bale to play through the centre of the attacking midfield line.
There is no reason to think that Keylor Navas will not continue in goal, despite being involved in the failed transfer of David De Gea from Manchester United to Real Madrid, which would have seen Navas moving in the opposite direction.
Possible Starting Lineups
Espanyol (4-4-2): Pau Lopez; Anaitz Arbilla, Antonio Raillo, Alvaro Gonzalez, Ruben Duarte; Paco Montañes, Victor Sanchez, Javi Lopez, Victor Alvarez; Felipe Caidedo, Gerard Moreno.
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Luka Modric; Isco, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo; Karim Benzema.
Players to Watch
Espanyol: Ruben Duarte
Espanyol's young left-back could be the next one to go on and follow in the footsteps of Jose Gaya, Alberto Moreno and Juan Bernat, showing the talent from a young age to warrant inclusion in the Spanish senior squad.
A diligent defender who can also support going forward and use pace to good effect, Duarte has quickly established himself as the first choice this year and he'll do well to stay first pick over the course of the campaign.
This weekend he'll be up against Isco, who will drift inside rather than committing the left-back with regularity, but the movement behind him is something that Duarte will need to quickly get to grips with.
Real Madrid: Casemiro
If Toni Kroos is indeed to be rested and rotated with some frequency, Real need a defensive blocker on hand who they can rely upon with regularity. Casemiro looks as though he should be that player—but doing it for Porto and for Real Madrid are different things.
The Brazilian needs to start strongly and put in a rounded display, mopping up the Espanyol counters but also starting the next phase of attacking play too by making himself available to take possession in deep areas and moving the ball on quickly.
Nobody will be expecting him to be Kroos-esque in his invention and incisiveness, but he does need to prove to Benitez he can be a solid and reputable option to hold the midfield together.
Prediction: Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid
