Real Madrid will be aiming to cut down the gap to arch-rivals Barcelona when they take on RCD Espanyol in La Liga in under a couple of hours at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having registered three back-to-back wins across all competitions, Carlo Ancelotti & co. will go into the game with confidence and momentum on their side. Ahead of kickoff, the manager has announced the Real Madrid starting lineup that will be taking the field against the newly-promoted team at the Bernabeu. Ancelotti has made some big changes to the team that took the field against VfB Stuttgart in the midweek UCL fixture. The biggest of them all sees Vinicius Jr. getting benched in favour of Arda Guler in attack. Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes retain their places in the team. Meanwhile, captain Luka Modric starts in midfield alongside Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde for Los Blancos. Modric’s introduction is because Aurelien Tchouameni has been handed a start at centre-back, with Ancelotti opting to rest Antonio Rudiger. Eder Militao returns to the side after starting on the bench in midweek. Fran Garcia replaces Ferland Mendy at left-back while Dani Carvajal retains his place on the right. Thibaut Courtois, the MVP from the midweek game, continues in goal.
Real Madrid appear to have regained their swagger after a slightly underwhelming start to the season. Carlo Ancelotti’s men drew two of their opening three La Liga games but have looked ominous in recent weeks, beating Real Betis and Real Sociedad 2-0, before opening the defence of their Champions League crown with a 3-1 defeat of Stuttgart in midweek. A home game with Espanyol appears a routine assignment but the Catalonian visitors will arrive at the Santiago Bernabéu in good form themselves. They earned a 0-0 draw at Atletico on their last visit to the capital three weeks ago before home wins against Rayo Vallecano and Alaves.
Espanyol are expected to field the same line-up that took on Alaves. While the visitors haven't suffered any recent injury concerns, Fernando Calero and Edu Exposito remain out with injury.
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol Starting Lineups
Espanyol starting XI (TBC): Garcia, Tejero, Omar, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero, Aguado, Gragera, Kral, Puado, Veliz.
Ancelotti's Rotation Strategy and the Road Ahead
Ancelotti is making some rotations tonight and he will be making some more when the team hosts Alavés next Tuesday. Both games should be manageable for Los Blancos, who need to keep gaining confidence and momentum ahead of next week's Madrid Derby at the Metropolitano.
Where to Watch and Stream Real Madrid vs. Espanyol
For fans in the United Kingdom, Real Madrid vs Espanyol can be seen on Premier Sports and Amazon Prime Video. Fans in Ireland can tune in via Sky Ireland's Sports Extra pack. US-based fans will be able to see Real Madrid vs Espanyol on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. Real Madrid vs Espanyol is a 21:00 CET kick-off, which is local time in Spain. That means fans in the UK and Ireland will find the game starting at 20:00 GMT. Fans in the USA can tune in to watch Real Madrid vs Espanyol at 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT.
Key Takeaways
- Carlo Ancelotti has made some significant lineup changes, with Vinicius Jr. benched and Tchouameni starting at center-back.
- The game presents a good opportunity for Real Madrid to build momentum ahead of the crucial Madrid Derby.
- The match will be broadcast on Premier Sports and Amazon Prime Video in the UK, Sky Ireland's Sports Extra pack in Ireland, and ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes in the US.
This is a game that Real Madrid will be looking to win comfortably, but Espanyol are capable of causing an upset. It will be interesting to see how the game unfolds and whether Ancelotti's changes pay off.
