Preview: Espanyol vs Real Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Real Madrid's slim hopes of winning the 2025-26 La Liga title could officially come to an end this weekend, as they prepare to head to RCDE Stadium to tackle Espanyol.

Los Blancos are currently second in the La Liga table, 11 points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Espanyol are 13th, five points off sixth-placed Getafe, and the Catalan outfit are incredibly still waiting for their first victory of 2026.

Match preview

Espanyol had the look of a top-four side in the first half of the campaign, with the White and Blues receiving so much praise for the level of their performances, but it has been a different story in 2026 - a year that is yet to bring a victory for the Catalan side.

Indeed, Manolo Gonzalez's side have not won since their final match of 2025, drawing six and losing 10 of their 16 games this year, which has seen them drop down the table.

It is perhaps a touch surprising that Espanyol have only dropped to 13th, and they sit just five points behind sixth-placed Getafe, with European football for next season still possible, but their winless run will surely have to come to an end this weekend if that is to be the case.

The White and Blues will enter this match off the back of a goalless draw with Levante, with that result occurring after successive defeats to Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano.

Espanyol lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in the reverse match at Bernabeu earlier this season, but the corresponding match during the 2024-25 campaign ended in a 1-0 win for the hosts.

Real Madrid could be 14 points behind leaders Barcelona by the time that this match kicks off, and if Hansi Flick's side do beat Osasuna on Saturday, then Los Blancos will have to triumph here in order to keep their incredibly-slim title hopes alive.

Only a minor miracle will see Real Madrid win the championship from this position, and they have been second-best to their rivals in 2025-26, winning five games fewer in the league, while Barcelona have managed to score 19 times more in La Liga this term.

Alvaro Arbeloa's side have also fallen short in the Champions League this season, losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, and it is set to be a disappointing end to the campaign for the capital giants, who will head to Barcelona for El Clasico next weekend.

Real Madrid will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Real Betis, and they have only been victorious in one of their last six games in all competitions.

Los Blancos last triumphed away from home in the league at the start of March, and it is a big summer ahead for the club, who need to appoint a new manager and also address a number of gaps in their squad.

Espanyol La Liga form:

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Real Madrid La Liga form:

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Real Madrid form (all competitions):

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Team News

Espanyol will be without the services of Pol Lozano for this match, with the midfielder sent off in the latter stages of the team's goalless draw with Levante last time out.

Javi Puado is a long-term absentee due to a serious knee injury, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape for the visit of Real Madrid on Sunday.

Of those who did not start against Levante, Roberto Fernandez is the favourite to be introduced into the XI, but the expectation is that Kike Garcia will again be given the nod through the middle, with the former potentially impacting the game off the bench.

As for Real Madrid, Rodrygo, Eder Militao and Arda Guler are all out for the remainder of the season with injuries, while Kylian Mbappe will be sidelined for at least this match.

Thibaut Courtois is again likely to miss out despite making strong progress in his recovery from a thigh injury, with his return instead expected to come in El Clasico.

Aurelien Tchouameni is also a doubt due to a calf issue, and the Frenchman could be rested, potentially leading to Eduardo Camavinga featuring in the XI.

Gonzalo Garcia is likely to benefit from Mbappe's absence to feature in the final third of the field, while Brahim Diaz could also retain his spot for the clash at RCDE Stadium.

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Gonzalez, Exposito; Ngonge, Terrats, Milla; K Garcia

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Mendy; Valverde, Bellingham, Camavinga; Diaz, G Garcia, Vinicius

We say: Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid

Espanyol's form this year has been disastrous, and we are expecting Real Madrid to take advantage of that in order to prevent Barcelona from being crowned champions this weekend.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.