Espanyol vs Real Madrid 28/01/19

28 January 2019

An improving Real Madrid side tackle a vulnerable Espanyol team at the RCDE Stadium in a match that will decide the faith of Espanyol boss Rubi.

A shameful haul of only six points in their previous ten LL outings has directed Espanyol towards the relegation territory. Having suffered eight defeats in their last nine LL clashes, the Periquitos have slipped down to 13th place as they currently stand just four points clear of the danger zone. Although Los Blancos are not the best opponents when you try to drag your team out of a crisis, Rubi has to find a way to stop Espanyol’s downfall. It’s still unclear what’s worse – Espanyol’s defense or attack. The Blanquiazules have conceded 21 goals in the last ten league fixtures, allowing over 1.5 goals per match seven times in the process. In the same sequence, their toothless attack has bagged just seven goals, while failed to hit the net four times.

On the other hand, the reigning European champions are looking to post third consecutive LL victory for the second time under Santiago Solari. Los Merengues have won five of their last seven league meetings (W5, D1, L1), but they are still trailing Barcelona by ten points. If Real Madrid win this, it would probably be to nil considering four of their previous five triumphs saw them outplaying their rivals without conceding a goal. However, Los Blancos are yet to secure back-to-back LL road wins this term (W4, D2, L4), as they come into this meeting looking to end a negative trend after beating Real Betis 2-1 at Benito Villamarin last time out.