Real Madrid vs Espanyol Prediction: Madrid Prop Bets are the way to go

A couple of second-half penalties were enough to give Real Madrid the three points last weekend and they are fully expected to get the win on Saturday evening when they host Espanyol in the 20:00 kick-off, live on Premier Sports Player.

Our La Liga expert Mark Sochon enjoyed a very profitable midweek in the Champions League and he has two bets for this one as he takes us through his Real Madrid vs Espanyol predictions...

Real Madrid are back at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, with newly promoted Espanyol the visitors in La Liga.  

As defending Spanish and European champions, and with Kylian Mbappé on board, expectation levels are so high in Madrid that a return of five wins and two draws from seven competitive matches so far this term, has been largely viewed as sub-par. 

As ever in this country, that's partially conditioned by Barcelona's 100% start and four point advantage in La Liga. However, it's also a reflection on a number of unconvincing performances from Los Blancos. 

They did not play well last weekend in San Sebastián. Real Sociedad hit the woodwork three times and competed throughout against Carlo Ancelotti's side who ultimately emerged victorious thanks to two Second Half penalties. 

Stuttgart also posed them plenty of problems in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with the Bundesliga side enjoying the lion-share of possession and having 17 attempts on goal at the Bernabéu. In the end, late strikes from Antonio Rüdiger and Endrick sealed a 3-1 victory for Real Madrid, but it was another match that would have left Ancelotti with plenty to reflect on. 

A fourth goal in three games for Mbappé was one positive though, while Jude Bellingham's return after a month on the sidelines was another. The Englishman's absence means we haven't got a full picture yet of how the balance is going to be in midfield, but it seems Ancelotti's preference is to play with Aurélien Tchouaméni in the holding role and with Bellingham and Fede Valverde getting more licence to push forwards. 

Assuming both start, there should be plenty of opportunity for them to do that in this game. Espanyol head to the capital as huge underdogs, but they are fresh from back-to-back league victories over Rayo Vallecano and Alavés. 

Both wins did come at home, with Javi Puado firing in a hat-trick to seal a 3-2 victory last weekend. Those could prove to be two very important wins for Manolo González's side, but the Catalans are still widely expected to be involved in the relegation scrap this term. 

According to La Liga's recently released salary limits which dictates how much a team can spend and is a reflection on a club's overall finances, only Sevilla had a lower cap than Espanyol for this season. That largely explains why they didn't make a permanent signing this summer, with the exception of Álvaro Tejero who arrived on a free transfer from second tier Eibar. 

Given the difficult circumstances, last season's Segunda División play-off winners will be more than content with a return of seven points from five matches to date. Only one of those points came away from home though, with Espanyol riding their luck at times to secure a 0-0 draw away to Atlético Madrid on matchday three. 

That will give them a bit of belief heading into this fixture, which feels like a free hit as far as the visitors are concerned. They are likely to defend deep and in numbers, a strategy which Real Madrid have at times found frustrating to play against this season. 

Team News: 

The hosts are expecting to have four injury absentees for this match with David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Brahim Díaz the players on the sidelines. 

Éder Militão should return in central defence after a midweek rest. With another game to come on Tuesday, Ancelotti may consider resting one or two of his other stars for this fixture. 

As for Espanyol, they're likely to switch back to a 3-5-2, having played with a back four in their victory last time out. They don't have any fresh selection issues with midfielder  

Edu Expósito and defender Fernando Calero their only injury concerns. 

Unless the visiting boss decides to keep some players fresh for their next two matches, Espanyol should line up with Puado up front again, alongside 21-year-old Tottenham loanee Alejo Véliz. 

Real Madrid vs Espanyol Odds

Real Madrid head into the game as the red-hot favourites at 1/7. Espanyol are out at 16/1 to record a shock victory, while you can back the Draw at 7/1. 

For bigger returns on Los Blancos, you can back Real Madrid -1.00 Handicap at 4/9, while the hosts are priced at 6/5 with a -2.00 Handicap. You can also back Ancelotti's side to win to nil at 4/5, a winning bet in four of their last five home fixtures in La Liga. 

You can get odds of 4/1 for Espanyol or Draw in the Double Chance market. Given Real Madrid's tendency to start games slowly this season, going with Espanyol or Draw at 7/5 as a First Half Double Chance bet looks slightly more appealing. 

You can back Mbappé to extend his current streak and score anytime at 3/5 while the Frenchman is priced at 5/2 to repeat his midweek feat and score the game's first goal. 

Alternative options include Vinícius Júnior who is priced at 11/10 to score anytime, while Jude Bellingham is on offer at 7/4 to do likewise. Punters will want to take into account that Ancelotti may opt for some rotation in this game though and could withdraw one or two of his bigger names early in the Second Half. 

From an Espanyol perspective, last weekend's hat-trick hero Javi Puado looks the standout option at 12/1 to score first and 18/5 to score anytime. 

*You can check out all of the Football Odds we offer over at betfred.com

Bet 1 - Real Madrid Over 1.5 Goals (2nd Half) @ 10/11

Real Madrid have been very much a Second Half team so far this season. Their games have tended to follow a similar pattern with the Spanish champions struggling to open up opposing defences before the break, but having much more joy after the interval. 

13 of their 14 goals so far this season in all competitions have come after the break. Their solitary First half strike came back in their La Liga opener at Mallorca. 

With Espanyol expected to operate defensively, this could follow a similar pattern and I'm backing Real Madrid Over 1.5 Goals (2nd Half) at 10/11. 

Bet 2 - Real Madrid Over 17.5 Shots & Real Madrid Over 4.5 Corners @ 19/20 

The gulf in quality is so great here, that Real Madrid really should dominate this game. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll run up a cricket score, with Espanyol's ability to take a point from their recent trip to Atleti suggesting they can't afford to take their newly promoted opponents for granted. 

However, Espanyol did need to face 25 shots and nine corners to earn that draw and they could be dealing with similar numbers on Saturday back in Madrid. 

Across their three home fixtures so far this term, Los Blancos are averaging 19.7 shots and 7.3 corners per game and I'm using the Bet Builder to back Real Madrid Over 17.5 Shots and Real Madrid Over 4.5 Corners at 19/20 here. 

Mark Sochon primarily covers Spanish Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out Mark's La Liga Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...