Having handed Barcelona a four-point head start in the La Liga title race, a sputtering Real Madrid host Espanyol on Saturday looking for some kind of momentum.
Los Blancos have struggled to begin the season, dropping points early while relying on late hijinks to bail them out in other moments.
While they have yet to be beaten, Madrid have been held to a draw in two of their first five games of the league campaign. Most recently, they needed two late goals to get past Stuttgart in Champions League play midweek after being pummeled through the opening half.
Espanyol have turned their poor start to the season in a hurry, winning their last two on the trot after picking up just a single point off their first three La Liga matches. They got a 96th-minute winner to beat Rayo Vallecano before Javier Puado's hat-trick downed Alaves 3-2 last weekend.
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Real Madrid vs. Espanyol lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Rodrygo all returned from injuries to take part in the midweek Champions League game and should be fine for this league match.
Eduardo Camavinga is still sidelined with an MCL injury, while Dani Ceballos nurses an ankle injury and Brahim Diaz has a hamstring issue. David Alaba is a long-term absentee.
Carlo Ancelotti may decide to bring back Eder Miliato to the centre of the defence after experimenting with Dani Carvajal at centre-back against Stuttgart.
Real Madrid predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy — Valverde, Tchouameni Bellingham — Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Injured: Camavinga, Ceballos, B. Diaz, Alaba
Suspended: None
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The only two players missing for Espanyol boss Manolo Gonzalez are Fernando Calero and Edu Exposito. Calero is a big miss, having slotted into the back line after the first two games but cropping up with an ankle injury, while Exposito recovers from an ACL tear suffered back in January.
Espanyol predicted XI (4-4-2, right to left): J. Garcia (GK) — El Hilali, Kumbulla, L. Cabrera, C. Romero — Tejero, Kral, Aguado, Carreras — Puado, Veliz.
Injured: Calero, Exposito.
Suspended: None
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this La Liga match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | ESPN Deportes | Fubo, ESPN+, WatchESPN |
| Canada | TSN1 | TSN+ |
| UK | — | Premier Player, LaLigaTV |
| Australia | beIN Sports 1 | beIN Sports Connect |
| India | — | GXR World |
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