Can Real Madrid win a third straight game?
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Real Madrid travel to Barcelona on Sunday to play La Liga rivals Espanyol. Los Blancos have won two straight games and are now just 10 points off of league leaders Barcelona.
It will take some fortune and consistency for Madrid to catch Barcelona. If they hope to shorten the 10-point gap, Madrid will need to win against Espanyol first. Manager Santiago Solari has watched his team win their last two matches by a combined score of 4-1. Their wins came against Real Betis and Sevilla, two teams with top four aspirations. Madrid have won four of their last six matches in La Liga and have looked improved since Christmas.
Solari’s team may be trending upwards, but Espanyol are going the opposite direction. Since starting the season well, Espanyol have lost eight out of nine matches. On November 5th, Espanyol was second in La Liga. Now, two and a half months later, Espanyol are 13th and a relegation candidate. It has been an incredible transformation and the team is only four points above the relegation zone.
Espanyol have only scored six goals in their last nine matches. Meanwhile, the team has allowed opponents to score 22 goals. Manager Rubi, who is in his first season at Espanyol, is somehow still in charge of the team despite its decline. Making Rubi’s plight to beat Madrid even more difficult is a Thursday night Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg match against Real Betis. Fortunately for Rubi, Madrid must play in the cup competition on Thursday night as well.
Solari has improved Madrid, but results have still been mixed. He was given a permanent contract until 2021, but most Madrid insiders expect him to be sacked after the end of the season. Solari has raised eyebrows by phasing out key veterans Isco and Marcelo, preferring alternative players. One of Solari’s biggest personnel moves has been to give teen sensation Vinicius Junior a regular first-team role. Vinicius has tallied three goals and four assists in 16 games in all competitions. However, two of those goals and all four assists came in the Copa del Rey.
Real Madrid have won five of their last six games against Espanyol. Their last two meetings saw just one goal scored in each game. Espanyol did win at home against Madrid last term, but Los Blancos picked up all three points in their game earlier this season.
There have been over 2.5 goals scored in five of Real Madrid's last six La Liga away games. Sunday’s trip to Espanyol will once again see over 2.5 goals scored. Madrid’s improved play will see them past one of La Liga’s worst teams. It is weird to say Espanyol are one of La Liga’s worst sides since they sat second in early November. However, Espanyol have been dreadful in their last nine games conceding goals galore. Madrid will win away and score over 2.5 goals.
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