Good evening everyone and thanks for joining us as we bring you live coverage of Espanyol's La Liga clash with Real Madrid at the RCDE Stadium in Catalonia. Zinedine Zidane's charges come into this game off the back of a four-match winning run, while the hosts are finding things more difficult down in 15th place in the standings.

ESPANYOL STARTING XI: Lopez; Navarro, Aaron, Victor, Duarte; Darder, Lopez, Sanchez; Piatti, Garcia, Moreno

ESPANYOL SUBSTITUTES: Baptistao, Granero, Jurado, Lopez, Naldo, Roca, Vila

REAL MADRID STARTING XI: Navas; Achraf, Ramos, Varane, Nacho; Kovacic, Llorente, Isco; Vazquez, Asensio, Bale

REAL MADRID SUBSTITUTES: Casilla, Carvajal, Benzema, Theo, Mayoral, Ceballos, Oscar

The major news then is that Gareth Bale leads Madrid's line tonight, while Cristiano Ronaldo has been given the evening off. The Welsh frontman is to be given further creative support by both Lucas Vasquez and Marco Asensio.

Elsewhere, Toni Kroos, Marcelo and Luka Modric have failed to make the cut because of injury, while Casemiro is having some trouble with an upset stomach. As a result, Madrid's midfield instead features youngster Marcos Llorente alongside Isco and Mateo Kovacic.

Sergio Ramos returns from suspension for the visitors and he features at centre-back alongside Raphael Varane. At full-back, Achraf Hakimi is occupying the right, while Nacho is left-back this evening.

For the home side, Pablo Piatti starts up top alongside Sergio García and top scorer Gerard Moreno, while Carlos Sanchez, Sergi Darder and David Lopez will be looking to hold the midfield this evening.

Coming into this game, Real Madrid have now won their last four La Liga contest after a troubling winter patch and a difficult season plagued by injuries.

After what turned out to be a truly disappointing December, the capital club have benefited from an upturn in fortunes are now on a seven-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.

Across that seven-game stretch, Zidane's men have bagged six victories and scored 30 goals in the process. A victory here tonight would not lift them above Atletico Madrid who are in second, but it will at least continue their promising resurgence and place some much-needed pressure on Diego Simeone's charges.

What has been particularly pleasing for Real fans is that the club has finally rediscovered some of its scoring touch in front of goal. Madrid have scored at least three goals in six of their last seven matches, which is slightly ominous for this Espanyol side who are not the best going forward under Flores.

December proved to be a testing period for Real, but they have just started to show glimmers of brilliance coming into the business end of the season. Barcelona might be way ahead at the top of the domestic standings, but Madrid are well-placed in Europe following a dominant win as they bounced back to beat Paris Saint-Germain recently.

This turnaround in form has arrived after Zidane and his team were able to win just four of 10 matches either side of Christmas, which did some major damage in their bid to mount a challenge for Barcelona at the top.

One of the central figures in this turnaround has been Cristiano Ronaldo. The forward has 12 goals in his last seven appearances for Madrid, but he will not feature here and instead the pressure will be placed on Bale to deliver after another frustrating season for the Welshman.

Much of Bale's season has been blighted by injuries, but he is finally getting a few games together and is looking sharper than most Madrid fans are giving him credit for. Bale now has seven goals in 11 league appearances, which isn't a bad return when you consider the amount of time he has spent on the sidelines.

This Madrid side has certainly provided some entertainment on the road despite a difficult showing this term. Real have scored an average of 2.5 goals in 21 of their last 24 away games.

Madrid are missing a number of key men today, either rested or out injured, but going forward Zidane has included some influential players this evening. Marco Asensio and Isco have provided handy contributions, with the former bagging six and assisting for four and the latter scoring five goals and creating four too. They will likely be key if Madrid are to come away with a win here. Karim Benzema could be handy off the bench too. The Frenchman has four goals and six assists this term.

Madrid are coming into this game off the back of a resounding 4-0 win over Alavez last time out. Real have proven clinical too - Madrid have been winning at both half time and full time in five of their last seven matches.

As for Espanyol, Flores and his men are going through a rather rough patch and have not been able to pick up a single victory in seven games.

As part of that seven-game winless run, Espanyol have picked up four draws in a row against decent opposition in the shape of Barcelona, Celta Vigo, Villarreal and Deportivo La Coruna.

In fact, Espanyol have come up against Barcelona on a couple of occasions in the league and Copa del Rey recently, whereby Flores's charges have put up strong displays and often proved difficult for their Catalonian rivals to break down.

Central to any home success tonight will be frontman Moreno, who at times has carried this Espanyol side with his goals and creativity in the final third. The striker has 10 goals in 25 La Liga appearances and has been directly involved in three of his team's last four goals.

Despite the club's difficult position down in 15th, Flores has shown that he is capable of producing the unthinkable. Since December, Espanyol have beaten Barca and Atletico at home and were denied a second triumph over rivals Barca by a late equaliser.

One thing that will allay some of the fears in Catalonia is that Espanyol do hold a nine-point gap over the relegation zone, meaning defeat tonight would not be totally disastrous. Facing Madrid could even take a bit of pressure off the hosts this evening.

Not long until kickoff now. Here's some footage of the Real players warming up in Catalonia:

🔥⚽💪 #RMLiga | El calentamiento ya está en marcha. ¡Quedan menos de 30 minutos! pic.twitter.com/O62g6JjHv5 — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) 27 February 2018

Looking at the history between the two teams, Madrid hold total dominance over Espanyol. Madrid have won their last 11 matches against Espanyol in all competitions.

Madrid have also kept a clean sheet in eight of their last 10 away matches against Espanyol across all competitions. When you look at the last six meetings between the teams, Real have won every contest, scoring 22 goals and conceding just one.

Real have been pretty ruthless against Espanyol in the past too. The capital club have been winning at both half time and full time in their last five matches against Espanyol.

PREDICTION! Madrid are missing a number of key men tonight, although you still look at this starting XI and are reminded of the depth of quality that Madrid possess. Ramos coming back into the side should add some extra steel at the back, while a number of young players have been afforded the chance to shine alongside some more experienced heads. Espanyol have proven hard to break down, but Real should still have a bit too much for them tonight. I'm backing Zidane's men for a 2-0 away win.

History suggests that we should see goals here in this game. Madrid have scored at least two goals in their last eight matches against Espanyol in all competitions.

Coming into the game, Zidane has insisted that he will not be taking Espanyol lightly despite their position in the table. Here's what he recently told reporters:

"We don't look at the table. Espanyol have shown very good things against the best teams this season. We know who we're up against and we'll have to have a great game to win again. We want to continue the good run we're on. Every match starts from zero and we want to have another good game at a difficult ground."

As for the hosts, frontman Moreno has backed his side to eventually get themselves through a rather sticky patch:

"We would like to be higher, with more points. That's not the case and maybe that makes us a little more anxious going out looking to get the first goal and the win. We need to try and change this dynamic and start winning games in order to have the confidence to go out on the pitch more relaxed. Things aren't going great but I have total faith in the team and that we can turn things around."

The ground is starting to fill up quickly and we're expecting a vibrant but hostile atmosphere here in Catalonia, where Espanyol are known for making things difficult for away sides to settle.

The players are now emerging from the tunnel and we'll be underway here in Espanyol shortly.

KICKOFF! We are off and moving here, Madrid get things going...

Madrid have settled nicely inside the opening three minutes. The visitors have appeared calm and collected on the ball as they shift possession around inside their own half. Espanyol have pressed brightly too.

Bale aims to break beyond the home defence in order to catch a long ball forward from Ramos, but Duarte takes charge and is able to make a comfortable interception.

Vasquez shows some smart movement to peel off the shoulder of Lopez, allowing Asensio to pick the ball over the top. The playmaker aims to cross back into the middle, but his ball is cleared for a corner.

SAVE! Madrid should be ahead... Achraf gets in on the overlap down the right and is able to cross into the middle. His ball takes a kind deflection off Caricol and falls for Bale, who sends his header straight into the arms of Lopez from just a matter of yards out.

The visitors are just starting to tick now, this time as Asensio shows incredible feet to beat two men inside the box, only for the playmaker to eventually run the ball out of play under a third challenge from the retreating home defence.

Bale offers an option over on the right now and is able to leave Navarro in his wake, although his cross for Asensio in the middle is a poor one and Lopez can hoof clear.

Navarro breaks forward for the first time this evening and he aims to get the beating of Nacho, but the full-back has his number all of the way and is able to muscle the defender out of possession before he can get a cross into the away box.

SAVE! It feels like a matter of time already... Kovacic sends a ball round the back for the overlapping Isco, who then turns a smart delivery into the box, which leaves keeper Lopez having to leap high to tip the ball over the crossbar and away from danger.

A first real defensive scare for the visitors now as Varane has to step in to make a vital challenge on Moreno inside the Real area. The striker had just looked to turn in a good position before being thwarted by the Frenchman.

CHANCE! Caricol finds some space over on the left and is able to turn a cross first-time into the area. Piatti peels away at the front post and aims a volley towards goal, but his effort goes flying over the bar without troubling Navas.

Madrid have bossed these opening 20 minutes, especially when you consider the amount of possession the visitors have held. Bale has had the best of the chances, although Espanyol have shown flickers of being effective on the break. The home side are playing very deep, mind.

Achraf is enjoying some freedom down the right channel and the full-back is able to win a corner. The resulting ball into the middle is a poor one, though, allowing Duarte to clear his lines with a thumping header.

The visitors are dominating inside the Espanyol half, but the home side are keeping compact on the edge of their own area and Madrid are yet to find a way of unlocking this defence.

CHANCE! Real will need to keep their wits about them. It's a terrible clearance from Varane as he plays a suicidal pass out of defence, which is headed by Sanchez into the path of Moreno inside the box. The striker has just Navas to beat and he sees his effort fly wide of the far post. Replays suggest that the keeper has made a brilliant save with his legs, but the referee gives a goal kick.

Real respond to that chance with more dominance in and around the home box, but once more Espanyol are keeping tight and organised and Madrid eventually give up possession when Kovacic tries to force the issue at the wrong moment, allowing Duarte to intercept.

OFFSIDE! Espanyol have the ball in the net, but it's flagged for offside. A speculative shot is thrashed in from outside of the box where it is deflected into the path of Moreno. The frontman finds himself alone with just the keeper to beat, which he does, only to see the linesman's flag raised for offside. It looks like a very close call too, with Llorente perhaps just keeping the striker on!

Bale has been rather quiet in the first half. He started brightly with some testing runs in behind, but since Madrid have been camped inside the Espanyol half the Welshman has been rather anonymous.

The Wales man finally shows some quality with a clever run down the left, where he is then able to cut the ball back into the middle for Isco. The ball is soon shifted into space for Llorente, but the youngster lashes his wild effort wide of the target.

Espanyol likely feel that they are still in with a chance or two if they're able to keep this defensive work up for the rest of the contest. It's taken a fair bit of concentration at the back, but Real have lacked quality so far in the final third.

YELLOW CARD! Bale shows his frustrations as he lunges in on Darder and picks up a yellow for his troubles.

Moreno almost thinks that's he's through following a clever ball around the corner from Piatti, but Varane shows great pace and strength to recover and make a vital interception on the edge of the box.

SHOT! Isco whips a cross towards the back post where it falls kindly for Bale. The frontman lashes an effort back along the deck and he soon finds himself screaming for a handball off a sliding Sanchez, but the referee is having none of it.

Real soon have another chance on goal, this time as they win a cheap free kick 25 yards out. Isco goes to shape one over the wall, although his effort is always rising and ends up in the stands.

The visitors continue to mount pressure in the final third, although Kovacic perhaps summarises this first half with another poorly placed pass and Espanyol are able to clear and find some breathing space.

A rather weak half of football for Real, despite the visitors dominating the opening 45 minutes at the RCDE Stadium. Zidane's men have shared so much of the ball, but have failed to do much with it going forward. The visitors will likely look to that Bale chance in the opening minutes as their best of the game.

Espanyol will argue that they should be in front here after having Moreno's effort struck off for offside. Replays suggest that they might have every right to feel aggrieved too. The home side have looked dangerous once or twice on the counter too. They have played a bit too deep, though, allowing Madrid too much time and space with the ball.

Will Zidane introduce Benzema at some point soon? The visitors have dominated with the ball, but they just need that cutting edge in the final third and the Frenchman might just provide that. He certainly offers something different.

SECOND HALF! We are back moving again in Catalonia...

Espanyol start the second half with a little more endeavour as they venture forward and almost fashion a chance after a melee inside the box, only for the linesman to raise his for offside in the middle of the action.

SAVE! Garcia drifts brilliantly off the back of Varane and is able to get a shot away from an acute angle, but Navas gets in the way despite not producing the most convincing of stops.

SHOT! A swashbuckling run from Achraf breaks at pace down the right and he beats his marker to drive an effort at goal, but Lopez stands unmoved to make a save at his near post.

We haven't seen enough of this from Bale... This time the frontman looks for the ball from deep over the shoulder of the defender. It looks like he's about to break clear, but the linesman has his flagged raised for offside.

More clever movement from Moreno sees him drift free of both Ramos and Varane to meet a flighted ball into the box. The striker has a lot of work to do on the volley, allowing Navas to make a comfortable save to keep out his tame effort in the middle of the goal.

Vasquez is able to snatch possession off Sanchez and he feeds in Isco on the counter down the right channel. The playmaker sends a teasing cross into the middle, but Lopez is out coolly to gather off his line.

Good work from Bale as he drives into the home box. The hosts soon get numbers back and the ball is instead worked out to Kovacic on the edge of the area. The midfielder then bends a rather predictable effort straight into the arms of Lopez. Nice and easy for Espanyol.

The home side have just started to drift back into that deeper formation we saw in the first half, which pales in comparison to the energetic pressing they showed in the opening exchanges of this second period. It has allowed Madrid off the hook slightly...

Vasquez shows good composure to drift in off the wing and win a cheap free kick. The ball is switched out to Isco on the left, but again Navarro is equal to it and Espanyol are able to get things clear before the playmaker can do any damage.

CHANCE! Madrid turn a corner towards the front post where Bale gets the slightest of flicks on the cross, leaving Lopez to shift across and collect the ball down low. If the striker had made a better connection that might just have been the opener.

SUBSTITUTE: Zidane makes his first change of the night as Isco is replaced by Benzema in attack... Espanyol also decide to replace Victor Sanchez with Granero.

Bale might just drop back into a slightly deeper or perhaps wider position to incorporate Benzema, that is unless Real opt for an unlikely 4-4-2 in these final 20 minutes or so. They need to do something going forward as they have really lacked quality in the final third tonight.

The visitors are just missing that bit of spark or brilliance here. Ronaldo springs to mind to be honest... The visitors are still pressing forward, but there's very few options for Zidane's men to build from. Espanyol have been very deep but it has allowed them to congest areas and get numbers behind the ball.

Just another example of the visitors' frustration as Achraf needlessly passes the ball out of touch with very little pressure on him.

A rather clumsy challenge off Ramos as he comes through the back of Moreno inside the area, only for the linesman to once again flag for offside.

SAVE! Almost a lead for Espanyol... Moreno leaps above Varane to meet Garia's cross, but Navas keeps out the header with a smart diving save going to his left.

SUBSTITUTION: Espanyol make a second change as Piatti is taken off for Baptistao. Could the hosts be looking for a winner now?

SUBSTITUTION: A big move here from Zidane as he removes Bale and throws on Ceballos in attack...

Espanyol are just sensing something in these closing moments. The hosts break on the counter through Baptistao, but Varane does well to get across only to then foul the striker and give Flores's men a free kick.

The eventual ball into the box is a dangerous one with men lurking in the middle, but Varane moves well and is able to produce a clever diving header to avert the danger.

Both sides are pressing for a winner it seems here, but both are being a tad too forceful and giving up possession in the final third. You could argue that Espanyol have actually shown more quality in the box than Madrid.

CLOSE! Moreno almost does it for Espanyol as he breaks free of the last man out wide on the right of the box. The striker gets his head up, only to see his curling effort bend wide of the far post.

We are going to have three minutes of additional time...

Navarro does brilliantly now as the full-back just prods wide of his own post with Ramos waiting to apply the finish!

What have we just seen? Madrid throw Ramos forward and they are then left short at the back when a teasing ball comes in for Moreno. The frontman smashes an effort into the ground and past Navas to win the game late for Espanyol!

Ramos had just been pushed forward there as Real went in search of a winner and they were seemingly punished on the counter. What an end to this encounter. It doesn't impact Real's standing too much, but it's a delightful win for the hosts. That's going to be all from me tonight, thanks for joining us!