Real Madrid will return to La Liga action on Sunday against RCD Espanyol and they will be desperate to bounce back after the shock 2-1 loss to Champions League debutants Sheriff Tiraspol on Wednesday night.
Los Blancos will need to put the midweek Champions League defeat behind them and focus on getting all three points at Cornella-El Prat—the home of RCD Espanyol, who are currently 14th in the league table.
Despite being held to a 0-0 draw by Unai Emery’s Villarreal last weekend, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are top of the La Liga standings, just a point above second-placed Real Sociedad.
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Dani Carvajal has suffered a setback on his return from injury and could miss between one and two months with a calf problem. Marcelo and Ferland Mendy also remain out for Real Madrid, although the latter is expected to return after the international break.
Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos continue their recovery from injury and trained indoors on Thursday.
Predicted Real Madrid Lineup vs RCD Espanyol (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois is Real Madrid’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper and he’ll continue between the sticks on Sunday.
Defence
Real Madrid’s defence has come under a lot of scrutiny this season, with Ancelotti’s men conceding 10 goals in nine games. Injuries to key defenders haven’t helped them but the Real boss has to find a solution to tighten up his leaky backline.
Dani Carvajal’s injury has seen Nacho deputise at right-back, but Ancelotti could use Real’s utility man at left-back and hand Lucas Vazquez a start at right-back. The centre-back pairing of Eder Militao and David Alaba will need to be at their best to keep the Espanyol forwards at bay on Sunday.
Predicted Real Madrid Lineup vs Espanyol
Midfield
Casemiro hasn’t been in the best of form this season and he’ll need to regain his mojo as quickly as possible to help Real Madrid start dominating the midfield. The Brazilian will keep his place in the Real Madrid lineup, with Luka Modric set to come in after starting the game against Sheriff on the bench.
The experienced Croatian international, along with Casemiro and Federico Valverde, will aim to take control of the game and dominate proceedings in midfield as quickly as possible, whilst creating opportunities for the forwards.
Attack
Eden Hazard had a poor game against Sheriff and was hauled off after the hour mark. However, he will be handed a start on Sunday and the Belgian attacker will look to create opportunities for his teammates, which he failed in doing so in midweek.
Marco Asensio could be preferred ahead of Rodrygo on the right flank in a bid to add invention and energy to Real Madrid’s attack against Espanyol. Leading the attack will be none other than Karim Benzema, who is in dream form with seven assists and eight goals in seven La Liga outings so far.
