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

Real Madrid will be aiming to post a fifth straight victory in Spain's top flight when they resume domestic matters with a home fixture against an in-form Espanyol outfit on Saturday afternoon.

Xabi Alonso's side are top of the La Liga table, picking up 12 points from four matches, while the visitors are third, gathering 10 points from their opening four games of the 2025-26 campaign.

Match preview

Real Madrid have not been at their free-flowing best at the start of the season, but they have managed to record five straight wins in all competitions, with Alonso enjoying a perfect start to life in charge of the capital giants.

Indeed, Los Blancos have posted four straight La Liga wins over Osasuna, Real Oviedo, Mallorca and Real Sociedad to collect 12 points, which has left them at the top of the table, two points ahead of second-placed Barcelona.

Alonso's team beat Real Sociedad 2-1 in the league last weekend, and they were then in Champions League action on Tuesday night, opening their league stage campaign with a 2-1 success over Marseille.

Kylian Mbappe has been in stunning form for Real Madrid this season, scoring six times in five appearances, and he has now managed 50 goals in 64 outings for the club since his arrival on a free transfer.

Los Blancos have won 117 of their 199 matches against Espanyol throughout history, including a 4-1 success in the corresponding game last season, but their last meeting in February 2025 was actually won by their opponents (1-0).

Espanyol might have beaten Real Madrid in their last meeting, but the Catalan side have not been victorious at Bernabeu since April 1996, showing the size of their task in this weekend's contest.

That said, Manolo Gonzalez's side will enter this match full of confidence, as an excellent start to the campaign has seen them pick up 10 points from their four matches to sit third in the table, just two points behind Real Madrid.

The White and Blues, who finished 14th in La Liga last season, opened their 2025-26 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid, before playing out a 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad in their second fixture.

Espanyol have since overcome both Osasuna and Mallorca, and they would rise to the top of the table with a win over Real Madrid on Saturday, which is some incentive for the Catalan side.

Periquitos will certainly be the fresher of the two teams on Saturday due to Real Madrid's European involvement, although there will not be too much of an advantage, as Los Blancos were on home soil against Marseille.

Real Madrid La Liga form:

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Real Madrid form (all competitions):

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Espanyol La Liga form:

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Team News

Real Madrid will be without the services of Trent Alexander-Arnold for the next six to eight weeks due to the hamstring issue that he suffered against Marseille, while Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger are still unavailable, but Endrick has returned to the squad.

Los Blancos will be missing Dean Huijsen through suspension, meanwhile, due to the red card that he picked up against Real Sociedad, which could open the door for Raul Asencio to feature in the middle of the defence.

Vinicius Junior is likely to be back in the side down the left, with Mbappe through the middle and Franco Mastantuono on the right, which is expected to lead to Rodrygo dropping down to the bench.

Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga are both back following injury problems, and Alonso has confirmed that the pair will feature this weekend, most likely off the bench.

As for Espanyol, Brian Olivan will miss out due to a calf injury, while Jose Gragera is carrying a muscular problem and could also therefore be unavailable for selection this weekend.

The visitors will definitely be without the services of Pere Milla following his red card against Mallorca, and that is a major blow for the Catalan side considering that he has scored three times already this season.

Kike Garcia is expected to be the player to benefit from Milla's absence, with the experienced striker, who scored the winner off the bench against Mallorca, in line to feature alongside Roberto Fernandez.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Asencio, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni; Mastantuono, Guler, Vinicius; Mbappe

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Dolan, Lozano, Gonzalez de Zarate, Puado; K Garcia, Fernandez

We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Espanyol

Two-one has been Real Madrid's favourite scoreline this season, winning each of their last three matches in that manner, and we are predicting the same outcome here, with Los Blancos extending their 100% start to the season to six games.

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