Espanyol team news
Espanyol will be without Cristian Alvarez, Felipe Mattioni and Samuele Longo. Goalkeeper Kiko Casilla expressed his horror at conceding three early goals against Sevilla last weekend. He described that as the team’s “worst 30 minutes under Javier Aguirre” in which the players “were very uncomfortable”.
Expect Espanyol to tighten up their defence in order to avoid another beating against goal-hungry Real Madrid. Capedvila, scorer of an own goal against Sevilla, may lose his place to left-back Victor Alvarez in the starting line-up.
Real Madrid team news
Los Blancos were on fire in midweek. They profited of Malaga’s numerical disadvantage to fire six goals and cover up Diego Lopez’s frustration of conceding twice in the game. Jose Mourinho may ask his men to play with less intensity this Saturday, knowing that the Copa del Rey final against Atletico Madrid is just around the corner.
Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to feature and carry the armband in the absence of Sergio Ramos who is injured. Also on the sidelines are defenders Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa. Karim Benzema has found back his scoring boots so Mourinho may want to rest him for the Spanish Cup final on May 17. Kaka is set to replace Mesut Özil in midfield as players like Jose Callejon, Nacho and even Ricardo Carvalho can hope to play a part against Espanyol.
Espanyol’s probable First XI
Casilla; Alvarez, Moreno, Colotto, Lopez; Baena, Forlin; Wakaso, Verdu, Stuani; Garcia
Real Madrid’s probable First XI
Lopez; Essien, Pepe, Albiol, Nacho; Modric, Khedira; Callejon, Kaka, Ronaldo; Higuain
Head-to-head – Last three meetings
October 2, 2011: Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid
March 4, 2012: Real Madrid 5-0 Espanyol
December 16, 2012: Real Madrid 2-2 Espanyol
Facts
• Espanyol have failed to score in their last two games while conceding a total of four goals at the other end of the field.
• Espanyol last grabbed a point at home against Valencia on April 13. The six-goal thriller ended three goals apiece.
• Espanyol are 11th on the league table with 43 points – 11 above the bottom three and 10 behind the European zone.
• Real Madrid have conceded five goals in their last two games and scored twice more.
• Real Madrid’s last away fixture occurred at the Vicente Calderon on April 27. Los Blancos were 2-1 victors on the night.
Prediction
Espanyol 1-3 Real Madrid
