Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction: Don’t expect plenty of goals

Premier Sports 1 on Sunday evening for Real Madrid's trip to Espanyol with the title all but mathematically gone, Los Blancos only have pride to play for while the hosts aren't totally assured of La Liga survival as yet.

Our Spanish Football expert previews the action and gives us his top two Espanyol vs Real Madrid Predictions plus all the team news, predicted line-ups and stats...

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Following a miserable April, which saw Real Madrid win just one of their six matches across all competitions, Álvaro Arbeloa takes his side to the RCDE Stadium for their first game in May. 

This was dubbed the match nobody wants to win earlier this week, given the implications it could have on exactly when Barcelona clinch the title. Espanyol fans aren't exactly keen on doing their bitter rivals any favours. Meanwhile, there are many of a Real Madrid persuasion that would rather the matter was sealed before their trip to Camp Nou for El Clásico next weekend. 

In reality, Espanyol are in no position to worry about anyone but themselves. With their winless start to 2026 now entering its fifth month, they have been firmly dragged into the relegation picture. 

While they did win 10 times earlier in the campaign, they still haven't passed the 40-point mark. It may take more than that to stay up this term, so Manolo González will need his players to dig deep and find at least one of those big early-season performances between now and the final matchday. 

On the surface, this is not the most likely source of what would be three priceless points. However, Espanyol did win this fixture last season, with a 1-0 victory coming via Carlos Romero's 85th-minute strike. They've beaten Los Blancos in three of the last six meetings at this stadium overall. 

That record is one reason for the home fans to be positive, but there are few others. Espanyol have looked woefully short on confidence in the final third in recent weeks, scoring just one goal in their previous four matches. That was what turned out to be a consolation strike in a 4-1 derby defeat against Barça. 

As far as the Real Madrid camp is concerned, there is little room for optimism right now. Their title challenge has collapsed after a run that has seen them collect just five points from four league outings. Héctor Bellerín's stoppage-time leveller for Real Betis in a 1-1 draw was the latest blow. 

Arbeloa's reign has also unravelled, with a number of players clearly unhappy with life under his management. One of those is Dani Carvajal, who has largely been frozen out, effectively scuppering his chances of featuring at the World Cup. The veteran Spanish right-back was pictured on the bench, apparently mocking Trent Alexander-Arnold's inability to track back, in the previous game. 

That's just one of several incidents that appear to shed light on some of the deeper issues that have affected Real Madrid over the past two seasons. Various coaches have failed to get the best out of this squad, with reports this week suggesting club president Florentino Pérez favours a surprise move for former boss José Mourinho this summer. 

There are still five more matches to play before Real Madrid's season is complete. They'll inevitably be up for El Clásico next Sunday. However, it's questionable just how motivated their star players are going to be in the other games, with many surely now eager to avoid injuries and arrive at the World Cup in good condition. 

*You can check out all of our Football Odds over on betfred.com

Team News: 

Espanyol are missing the suspended Pol Lozano, the only player to have scored for Los Periquitos since a 2-1 defeat to Getafe prior to the March international break. Javi Puado is again the only injury absentee. 

Manolo will likely consider some changes following a 0-0 draw at home to Levante last time out. Kike García and Roberto Fernández are competing for one place up front, while Englishman Tyrhys Dolan is among several options out wide. 

As for Real Madrid, they'll be missing Kylian Mbappé through injury, while Carvajal has also succumbed to a fractured toe in recent days. 

Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militão, Rodrygo and Arda Güler are still sidelined, which leaves Arbeloa with few options in some positions. His main call may be whether to use Gonzalo García up front alongside Vinícius Junior, or opt for a different structure, potentially making use of Brahim Díaz or Franco Mastantuono. 

Match Odds: 

Real Madrid are the 4/5 favourites to leave the RCDE Stadium with maximum points. You can back Espanyol to pick up their first win of the year at 3/1, while the Draw is priced at 3/1. 

A repeat of last season's 1-0 victory for Espanyol is on offer at 14/1. You can also back the hosts to score over 1.5 goals at 13/8, while Both teams to score is priced at 8/15. 

If you like the look of Los Blancos, the visitors are on offer at 5/2 to win the game to nil. They're priced at 13/10 to score in both halves. You can also back the visitors to win both halves at 10/3. 

Without Mbappé, the most likely sources of a goal for Real Madrid may be Vinícius and Gonzalo. You can take your pick, with both players on offer at 4/1 to score first, and 6/5 to score anytime. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham is available at 21/10 as an anytime goalscorer bet. 

From a home perspective, you can back Kike to score first at 7/1, while the ex-Middlesbrough striker is priced at 2/1 to get on the scoresheet at some stage in the game. 

*You can place a bet on this match and check out all of our Espanyol vs Real Madrid Odds over on betfred.com

Recent Form (Past Five Matches):

Espanyol: L D L L D

Real Madrid: W L D W D

Bet 1 - Fede Valverde 1+ shots on target @ 5/6 

With Mbappé on the pitch, there is a tendency for Real Madrid to look to get the ball to the Frenchman as much as possible. When he doesn't play, their threat can be more varied, and one of their main dangermen right now is Fede Valverde. 

The Uruguayan midfielder has scored eight times across his last 11 outings for club and country. His confidence to take attempts from range is clearly sky high, with the 27-year-old hitting the target on two occasions in the draw at Betis in his last appearance. 

With Güler also unavailable, there's extra onus on Valverde to push forward from midfield and offer a goal threat. I'm backing him to have one or more shots on target at 5/6. 

Bet 2 - Under 3.5 goals & Most corners - Real Madrid @ 6/4 

In the absence of any hint of a victory, or even much of a goal threat, Espanyol look like a team that may be content to edge towards safety one point at a time. Their goalless draw at home to fellow strugglers Levante on Monday will not live long in the memory, and they'd surely be content with the same outcome here. 

With Real Madrid not at their best in attack, and missing some key players, a goal fest looks unlikely. Three of the previous six meetings between these clubs in Catalonia have ended with 1-0 scorelines. 

With the hosts likely to be happy to sit back, Real Madrid should have several spells of heavy pressure. They're averaging 6.13 corners per game on the road in La Liga, and they look good to win more than their opponents in this clash. 

Given that, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Under 3.5 goals and Most corners - Real Madrid at 6/4. 

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

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