Our soccer expert offers his Real Madrid vs Espanyol predictions and betting tips, ahead of Saturday’s La Liga clash, at 10:15am ET (9/20).
Our betting expert expects the visitors to get on the scoresheet, but Los Blancos to claim another win with Kylian Mbappe on target.
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Only Barcelona have scored more goals than Espanyol in La Liga this season. Manolo Gonzalez’s team bolstered their attack in the summer, with the additions of Kike Garcia and Tyrhys Dolan. Meanwhile, Roberto Fernandez converted his loan into a permanent transfer, and they now have some excellent options in the final third.
Dolan has particularly stood out, with the English winger causing major problems for Mallorca on Monday night. Despite only averaging a 40.2% share of the ball this term, Espanyol have launched a number of dangerous attacks in every game.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be without the suspended Dean Huijsen, as well as the injured defensive trio of Ferland Mendy, Antonio Rudiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold. That should be good news for the away team’s chances of getting on the scoresheet.
Xabi Alonso’s side have made a flying start to the campaign, largely thanks to the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman is clearly on top of his game right now, with eight goals in seven matches so far this term for club and country.
Mbappe has scored first in three of Real Madrid’s first four league fixtures, while he converted two penalties against Marseille in midweek. The 26-year-old had 10 shots in that game, and has maintained an average of six per match in the league.
While Espanyol have made a strong start, they are slightly weaker at the back than they were last term. Star goalkeeper Joan Garcia has also left, and they may struggle to handle Mbappe, who is given an implied probability of 33.3% of scoring first.
While they took a couple of games to find their groove after a short pre-season, Real Madrid are becoming sharp in attack. The side were 2-0 up by the break at Real Sociedad last time out. They might have won that one more comfortably, had Huijsen not seen red in just the 32nd minute.
They also had 11 shots on target in the first 45 minutes against Marseille on Tuesday. That was their highest number in the first half of a Champions League game since at least 2003/04. Los Blancos created 3.74 xG across the full 90 minutes.
Alonso is eager to see more players chipping in with goals, but that should come with time. Franco Mastantuono has been shining on the right flank, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo now competing for one place on the left. They are capable of netting at least three times here.
It has been a fantastic start to the season for Real Madrid. Despite having players sent off in each of their last two matches, they still boast a 100% record this term.
A 2-1 victory at Real Sociedad last weekend kept them on top of La Liga, while they impressed against Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday. They should have won that game by a greater margin than one goal.
Espanyol are in good form as well. The Catalan club have picked up 10 points from their first four matches, and would go top with a surprise win at the Bernabeu. They’ve scored eight goals so far, and beat Mallorca 3-2 on Monday.
Real Madrid expected lineup: Courtois, Carreras, Asencio, Militao, Carvajal, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Valverde, Vinicius, Mbappe, Mastantuono
Espanyol expected lineup: Dmitrovic, Romero, Cabrera, Calero, El Hilali, Lozano, Gonzalez de Zarate, Exposito, Puado, K. Garcia, Dolan