Espanyol and Real Madrid will enter the pitch of Power8 Stadium aware of their current predicaments. While the hosts keep their hopes about European football next season, Real Madrid waits for a miracle to win La Liga once again. Having lost their advantage over Barcelona, last week's draw against Valencia provided a huge blow for Los Blancos' chances of winning the Spanish top flight, and now they have win and hope Atletico can give them a hand by defeating Barcelona. With that in mind, both teams will want to put up a good show and hope for the best to happen.
Espanyol's season hasn't been as wonderful as expected, and this could be the end of a generation for Los Periquitos, since some of their top players could be sold during the next transfer window to help the club's financial issues. Mexican defender Hector Moreno and goalkeeper Kiko Casilla are among those who could be leaving the club, and the Spanish shot-stopper shared his thoughts on what's it going to be like to face a desperate Real Madrid side.
"To win against a team like this one you have to do everything perfectly. We need to make them uncomfortable, so that they end up making mistakes. We have to make the most out of every chance we have, and if we do that we may be able to shock them," Casilla told the team's website.
As for Real Madrid, it seems that things crumbled apart for Los Blancos in just ten days. Out of the Champions League final, and with barely no chance of winning La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti's men need to look for redemption against Espanyol, keeping in mind that no matter how slim their chances of winning the league are, they can't back down since all their fans will end up making a big deal out of it.
Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos will not be able to perform for Los Blancos, after picking up injuries during last Wednesday's match against Juventus. In fact, Ramos played the second half of the match with a torn calf. After undergoing some tests, the center back shared the diagnosis with his fans via Twitter.
Thank you all for your love and support.Finally it's a grade 1 muscle injury. I'll be back soon!#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/hej295SdOY
— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) May 15, 2015
Coach Carlo Ancelotti refused to share the starting lineup for Sunday's game, although he hinted there could be some changes in the team's formation, including goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
"We still have two more games to play. We have to keep fighting, and after that we can sit down and talk about the future"
.@MrAncelotti: “Quedan dos partidos. Tenemos que luchar. Luego ya se hablará de futuro”. #RMLive
— Real Madrid C. F. (@realmadrid) May 16, 2015
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