Reigning champions Real Madrid will be aiming to make it three straight victories in Spain's top flight when they welcome an in-form Espanyol to Bernabeu on Saturday evening.
Los Blancos have picked up 11 points from their opening five La Liga games of the season to sit third in the table, while Espanyol, who have won their last two, are 12th in the division on seven points.
Match preview
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Real Madrid are yet to hit top gear this season, but it has still been a solid start from the reigning La Liga champions, winning three and drawing two of their five matches to pick up 11 points, which has left them third in the table, four points behind the leaders Barcelona.
Carlo Ancelotti's side drew their league opener with Mallorca before beating Real Valladolid 3-0, but they were then held by Las Palmas, with a certain Kylian Mbappe failing to score in his opening three league matches for the club.
However, Real Madrid have beaten both Real Betis and Real Sociedad 2-0 in their last two league matches, while they opened their 2024-25 Champions League challenge with a 3-1 success over Stuttgart on Wednesday.
Los Blancos now have three league fixtures against Espanyol, Alaves and Atletico Madrid before heading to Lille for their second match in the league phase of the Champions League at the start of October.
Real Madrid have won their last three league games against Espanyol, including a 3-1 victory at Bernabeu during the 2022-23 campaign, while they are unbeaten at home in the league against Saturday's opponents since April 1996, which is an indication of the size of the away team's task in this contest.
Rumours of discontent between the attacking players at the club continue to rumble on, but Jude Bellingham has firmly denied claims of potential issues in the camp.
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Espanyol, meanwhile, secured a return to La Liga via the 2023-24 Segunda Division playoffs, and they will be bidding to consolidate back at this level of football.
The White and Blues had a tough start to the season, losing 1-0 to Real Valladolid and Real Sociedad in their opening two league fixtures, but they have been impressive in their last three, starting with a 0-0 draw away to Atletico at the end of August.
Manolo Gonzalez's side have won their last two league fixtures, beating Rayo Vallecano 2-1 before the international break, and then recording a 3-2 victory over Alaves last weekend.
Javi Puado scored three times in the home success last time out, and seven points from five matches has left the Catalan outfit in 12th spot in the table, representing a strong start to the campaign.
Espanyol have conceded seven times in their last two league visitors to Real Madrid, while each of their last seven top-flight wins over Los Blancos have come in front of their own supporters, so the omens are not exactly brilliant for the visitors ahead of this contest.
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Team News
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Real Madrid will once again be without the services of Brahim Diaz, Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga and David Alaba through injury for this weekend's contest with Espanyol.
Bellingham played 80 minutes of the Champions League game against Stuttgart on his return from injury, and the England international is again set to be in the XI for this match.
Eder Militao will also come back in, having started on the bench against Stuttgart, but there are unlikely to be any changes to the attack, with Rodrygo again featuring alongside Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Endrick scored his second goal for the club against Stuttgart, becoming Real Madrid's youngest-ever Champions League goalscorer in the process, but the 18-year-old is again expected to start on the bench.
As for Espanyol, head coach Gonzalez is likely to name the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle of the clash against Alaves, including hat-trick hero Puado.
On-loan Tottenham Hotspur forward Alejo Veliz has scored once in five league appearances this season, and the 21-year-old is set to continue in the final third of the field at Bernabeu.
The visitors have not suffered any fresh fitness issues in the build-up to this match, but Fernando Calero and Edu Exposito will once again be unavailable for selection due to injury problems.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
J Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Tejero, Kral, Aguado, Carreras; Puado, Veliz
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Espanyol
Espanyol are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Real Madrid, who are yet to find their full flow in the early stages of the season. We are struggling to see the visitors providing an upset, though, and are backing Real Madrid to put another three points on the board.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
