Real Madrid extended their winning streak to four games with their 3-0 victory at Brest and the Spanish giants have put their 5-2 hammering by Barcelona at the start of the year behind them to move four points clear at the top of La Liga.
Saturday evening’s opponents Espanyol are in the drop zone, but they’ve shown signs of life with one defeat across their last six league matches.
Can the hosts extend that good run, or are they set to fall at the hands of a top side once more?
Real Madrid to win and both teams to score - 15/8
After a pair of 3-0 wins on the road, Real are heavy favourites to secure all three points at Espanyol - the visitors are 3/10 for the victory as they search for a ninth win in 11 La Liga matches.
Espanyol haven’t lost a home league game since Halloween, so they should put up more resistance than either Brest or Real Valladolid have managed against Madrid over the past week.
However, the hosts do have a poor track record when it comes to meeting Spain’s top sides.
They have already lost on the road to three of La Liga’s top four, suffering 4-1 defeats at both Athletic Bilbao and Real, while they were beaten 3-1 at local rivals Barcelona.
The hosts suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Villarreal and they’ve lost seven of their 10 clashes with sides in the top half of the table this season.
Real have won each of the previous four meetings between the pair and they’ve also won three of their last four visits to the Blanc-i-blaus.
The Spanish giants have scored 14 times in that four-game winning streak, while they’ve netted at least three goals in each of their last four matches across all competitions.
That makes a Real win and over 2.5 goals tempting at 5/6, but Espanyol have scored in eight of their 11 home matches this season.
They’ve scored in five of those seven losses to teams in the top 10, while they average 1.36 goals per game at home, so, with Real in the middle of a demanding run of games, back them to win but concede.
Jude Bellingham to score or assist - 4/5
Jude Bellingham has played a key role in Real’s great start to 2025 and he was on the scoresheet in Wednesday’s win over Brest.
The midfielder has been involved in a goal across each of his last three appearances, scoring once and creating another three.
Overall, Bellingham has been involved in 13 La Liga goals this season.
He's popped up with five strikes and three assists across nine away appearances, while eight of his 10 goals across all competitions have come away from the Bernabeu.
The England international has scored and assisted a combined 14 times in 14 appearances since the start of December, so back him to make an impact at Espanyol.
Rodrygo to score anytime and Omar El Hilali to be booked - 7/1
Another key man in Real’s run is Rodrygo, who netted a brace at Brest. The winger has five goals and two assists across his last four appearances, while he has scored in seven of his last nine.
The Brazilian has scored in three of his last five league appearances and he can continue that fine form on Saturday evening.
Rodrygo’s compatriot Vinicius Junior is also performing well and he leads the team in fouls drawn this season. The left-winger is gelling well with Kylian Mbappe, who tends to drift out to that flank.
That versatility tends to be a nightmare for opposition full-backs, making Espanyol’s Omar El Hilali look vulnerable.
The right-back leads his team-mates in cards shown with eight bookings, while he’s also committed more fouls than any other Espanyol player.
El Hilali has been booked in four of his last six appearances in La Liga, so back him for a card and Rodrygo for a goal at 7/1.
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Espanyol - 8/1
Draw - 19/4
Real Madrid - 3/10
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.