This weekend in La Liga, Real Madrid and Espanyol lock horns at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish capital. Real are chasing down leaders Barca, who are nine points ahead at the summit. Espanyol is down in 13th spot with 27 points to their name.
Los Merengues are a formidable force on home soil, and the Madrid giants will be looking for all three points from this one. Check out this in-depth soccer betting preview for the best La Liga picks and our Real Madrid vs Espanyol prediction.
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol Matchup Information
Real Madrid vs Espanyol
Location: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Date and Time: Saturday, March 11, 2023, 8:00 AM ET
How to Watch: ESPN+
Recent Scores
When these two teams locked horns in the reverse fixture back in August, Real Madrid left the RCDE Stadium with all three points. The game looked to be heading for a draw, but Karim Benzema netted two late goals to give Real a 3-1 success.
Real Madrid thumped the White and Blue when they last met at the Bernabeu. Rodrygo bagged a brace, while Marco Asensio and Benzema were also on the scoresheet in the 4-0 rout. Last term’s reverse fixture went Espanyol’s way, however, as the Barcelona club won 2-1 on home turf back in October 2021.
Read on for our Real Madrid vs Espanyol prediction. This should be one of the better today’s La Liga matches.
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol Analysis
Real Madrid won the Spanish title last season, and retaining the championship trophy this year would have been a priority for Carlo Ancelotti before a ball was kicked. However, they have had to sit back and watch Barcelona dominate the league. Barca looks nailed on to win their first league title since 2019.
Things have not gone to plan in La Liga, but Real Madrid is still in with a great chance of keeping hold of their UEFA Champions League trophy this season. Ancelotti’s side have one foot in the last eight after a convincing 5-2 first-leg win over Liverpool in the Round of 16. Real were also crowned FIFA Club World champions this year.
Real Madrid head into Saturday’s league match having failed to win any of their last three in all competitions. They won five in a row before drawing 1-1 with rivals Atletico Madrid. The champions were then beaten by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey before drawing 0-0 in the league with Real Betis last time out.
After back-to-back league draws with Atleti and Betis, Real will be eager to get back to winning ways in the league this weekend. After this weekend’s clash, the El Clasico against Barcelona at the Camp Nou is next up on their league schedule.
Espanyol’s Performance in La Liga
Espanyol is having another decent season in La Liga. Diego Martinez’s men are in no real danger of going down, though the White and Blue are just two points adrift of the relegation zone and will be hoping to pull away from the bottom three. Things are incredibly tight in the bottom half of the table.
Martinez’s men recently sealed much-needed back-to-back wins over Elche and Mallorca. However, they suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss at Real Valladolid in their last league matchup.
A trip to the Bernabeu is just about as tough as it gets for the likes of Espanyol. Their away form has not been good of late, as they have lost three of their past four league and cup away matches.
Real Madrid are always the favorites on their own patch, and the European champions are heavily fancied to pick up all three points from this home match. Below are the latest Real Madrid odds and our Espanyol picks.
Odds Breakdown
1×2 Odds
Real Madrid: -400
Espanyol: +850
Draw: +550
Handicap Odds
Real Madrid -2: +188
Espanyol +1: +275
Over/Under Odds
Over 2.5 Goals: -163
Under 2.5 Goals: +130
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol Betting Pick and Prediction
Real were outstanding at Anfield in the Champions League at the end of February, but Ancelotti’s men are winless in three since. They will want to keep the pressure on Barca, so three points from this one is a must for the current champions. Many people’s Real Madrid vs Espanyol prediction will be a comfortable home win.
Since losing to Espanyol in October 2021, Real have won the next two against the Barcelona-based outfit, scoring seven goals to boot. They cruised to a 4-0 win when the pair last locked horns in the capital last April.
Madrid went into the break in that one two goals up, and second-half strikes from Asensio and Benzema added gloss to the scoreline. We fancy Real to be winning at half-time and full-time again this weekend (-125).
Ancelotti’s boys have kept several clean sheets this season, and the hosts should stop Espanyol from finding the net this weekend. You can get the decent price of -110 for Real to win to nil.
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