La Liga Preview: Real Madrid Up for a Difficult Stretch

Real Madrid vs Espanyol

The real challenge begins for Real Madrid.

After their Champions League win over Roma, Los Blancos now head to their second game in four days, this time in the La Liga against a well-rested Espanyol side that is expected to give the reigning European champions a tough time in their return home.

Playing European football has always been a challenge for teams, especially with the added demand of playing more games in a week. And sure enough, Real Madrid are no exception.

Julen Lopetegui’s men are still unbeaten in the league after four games, but Espanyol know for a fact they have a fighting chance.

Talking Points

Exhaustion and fitness will be the primary concern of Real Madrid ahead of their meeting with Espanyol.

After their match with Roma, they only have a little over 48 hours to return to the Bernabeu, rest and practice for their fifth La Liga outing. This, and Los Blancos have to take into consideration they have another away fixture in Sevilla and a home derby against city rivals Atletico Madrid in the next seven days following that game.

Real Madrid are undefeated so far with three league wins and a draw, while their victory over Roma extended their unbeaten streak to five in all competitions. However, Lopetegui is expected to make necessary changes to his Starting XI in this critical week.

Gareth Bale, Isco and Karim Benzema have been sensational so for the Madridistas. Bale, for his part, has already scored three La Liga goals this year and was on target against the Romans. The Welshman also has two assists to his name, including one that helped them pull off a 1-1 draw with Bilbao last week.

On the other hand, Benzema has four goals after grabbing the La Liga 2018 highlights with a couple of braces against Girona and Leganes. Meanwhile, Isco has a goal and an assist and was also one of the three scorers in their UCL opener.

Nonetheless, while the three players have been crucial for Real Madrid’s resurgence in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, they have also been playing a lot and will need some rest soon.

After Cristiano's departure, Gareth Bale stood up for Real and will be a key in their clash against Espanyol in La Liga — Gareth Bale controls the ball during their match against AS Roma in Champions League

Bale has already played 400 minutes of competitive football since the start of the 2018/19 campaign, while Benzema has already clocked more than 422 minutes. In fact, Benzema has played the full 90 minutes of their four La Liga games, being only substituted against Roma after one hour.

Isco has two substitute appearances this year, but he played throughout against Eusebio Di Francesco’s men. With that said, there’s a chance for him to start off the bench again as Lopetegui looks to manage his minutes, along with Bale and Benzema.

Espanyol will see Real Madrid’s situation as an opportunity to pounce and give them their first defeat of the season. They are currently fourth in the league and have shown a good balance of offence and defence.

While they lack a true superstar who can change the flow of the game for them, they make it up with teamwork. For what it’s worth, five different players scored their five goals this season, with Mario Hermoso, Granero, Borja Iglesias, Leo Baptistao and Sergio Garcia all on the scoresheet.

Not to mention that they have the advantage of a week-long rest.

History

Real Madrid have dominated their past encounters with Espanyol, and it’s safe to say their history is pretty much one-sided. Overall, the two teams have already played 165 times, with Los Blancos winning 98 times, drawing 33 and losing just 34.

To paint a clear picture of how one-sided it has been, Real Madrid have scored a total of 367 goals against Espanyol. In contrast, the Periquitos hit just 189 markers against the 33-time La Liga winners.

In their last 23 meetings with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, the home team has also never lost against Espanyol. The last time they lost a home game to the Barcelona-based team was 24 years ago.

If there’s one silver lining for Espanyol, it’s that they won and split their two fixtures with Real Madrid last year to break a 10-year winless slump.

Betting Tip

	Real Madrid vs RCD Espanyol	RCD Espanyol Asian Handicap +2.00 @ 1.91
	September 23, 02:45 (GMT+8)

Given their history and recent undefeated streak, it’s no wonder why the La Liga 2018 odds give Real Madrid the advantage. Lopetegui’s charges are the overwhelming favourites even at SBOBET, with Espanyol given no chance at all to win.

Nevertheless, considering Madrid’s hectic schedule, I think they won’t go all-out in this game. I also expect their key players to see limited action this time as they prepare for the tougher matches against Sevilla and Atletico.

I still have Real Madrid winning this one, but the margin won’t be that huge. With that said, I’m putting the smart money on Espanyol with Asian Handicap betting.