The Matchday 22 clash in La Liga between Espanyol and Real Madrid will take place on February 1 at the Cornella-El Prat Stadium in Barcelona. Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Espanyol
The Catalans drew 1-1 away to Sevilla in the last round. This marked their third consecutive unbeaten match in the league: prior to that, they drew 1-1 at home with Leganes and defeated Valladolid 2-1. Notably, Espanyol has only managed a three-match unbeaten streak twice this season in La Liga. Manolo Gonzalez's side remains in the bottom three, but they are just one point away from the safe 17th place.
- No more than three goals have been scored in the club's last seven league matches.
- Espanyol has suffered just one defeat in their last six La Liga encounters (1 win and 4 draws).
- The number "1" has appeared in the final scoreline in 9 of Espanyol's last 10 La Liga games.
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti's team heads into this match with a four-match winning streak in the league. Notably, in the last two La Liga games, they secured convincing victories over Las Palmas (4-1) and Valladolid (3-0). Overall, Madrid has remained unbeaten in six La Liga matches (5 wins and 1 draw). This successful run has allowed Real to surpass their city rivals Atletico by 4 points and extend their lead over Barcelona by 7 points.
- The club has scored at least three goals in 5 of their last 6 league games.
- Three or more goals have been scored in Real's last seven La Liga matches.
- In Madrid's last nine away La Liga games, two or more goals have been scored in the second half.
Predicted lineups for Espanyol vs. Real Madrid
Espanyol (4-4-2): Joan Garcia – Omar El Hilali, Leandro Cabrera, Brian Olivan, Marash Kumbulla – Pol Lozano, Jofre Carreras, Alex Kral, Alvaro Tejero – Javi Puado, Roberto Fernandez Jaen.
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois – Aurelien Tchouameni, Raul Asensio, Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger – Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos – Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes – Kylian Mbappe.
Each team's lineup reflects their starting eleven from their last match in this tournament.
Referee
Alejandro Muniz Ruiz (Spain)
Matches – 11 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 41;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 6;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 36%.
Espanyol vs. Real Madrid: Match Prediction
The Catalans rarely take points off Madrid. In the last 19 league meetings, Espanyol has claimed just two victories, while the capital club has won the other 17 encounters. These matches have been high-scoring affairs, with at least two goals in 16 of the last 19 La Liga clashes.
This season, Espanyol played four matches against top-four La Liga teams, suffering three defeats and earning one draw. Real Madrid, in their current La Liga campaign, has faced teams in the bottom half of the table 12 times, winning 11 and drawing once. All these matches featured at least two goals, with Madrid themselves scoring at least twice in 11 of them. I am confident that the visitors will triumph in Catalonia, with two or more goals scored.
My prediction – Real Madrid to win and total over 1.5 goals