Real Madrid will face Espanyol away on Sunday for a crucial match in the LaLiga title race, as Barcelona can become the new Spanish champions if the side coached by Alvaro Arbeloa fail to win. If Real Madrid win, Barcelona will have a remarkable opportunity to clinch the LaLiga title next week, when the two sides face off in El Clásico at Spotify Camp Nou.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Arbeloa was asked what happened over the past weeks at the club, as Real Madrid will end the current spell without winning any major trophy:
“There are many matches, and it’s true that the results are far from what Real Madrid should be. Nowadays, you don’t win by just getting off the bus, but it’s clear that the difference in level between Real Madrid players and the teams we face is only on paper. We have to improve a lot, as I always say, on a collective level. Nowadays, I believe that even with the talent we have, it’s not enough to just put the ball on the ground and play individually. I think we need a collective idea, a plan, a structure, patterns, and movements. To know what the teammate will do, how we want to unbalance the opponent. All of this, evidently, requires perhaps a different mentality from what we’ve had, and we’ve paid for it with points,” he reported.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the LaLiga match that will take place on Sunday:
How to watch Espanyol vs. Real Madrid, odds
- Date: Sunday, May 3 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: RCDE Stadium — Barcelona
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Osasuna +348; Draw +288; Real Madrid -136
Possible lineups
Espanyol XI: Marko Dmitrovic; Omar El Hilali, Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Romero; Urko Gonzalez de Zarate, Edu Exposito; Cyril Ngonge, Ramon Terrats, Pere Milla; Kike Garcia.
Real Madrid XI: Andriy Lunin; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Ruediger, Dean Huijsen, Ferland Mendy; Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham; Brahim Diaz, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Jr.
Prediction
Pick: Real Madrid 1, Espanyol 0.
