Real Madrid Vs Espanyol Football Match Score 11 March 2023
Real Madrid will continue their pursuit of La Liga leaders Barcelona on Saturday afternoon with a home fixture against an Espanyol outfit that are involved in a fierce battle in the bottom half of the division. Los Blancos are second in the table, nine points behind Barcelona on the same number of games (24), while Espanyol sit 13th, just two points ahead of the relegation zone in Spain’s top flight. Back-to-back draws with Atletico Madrid and Real Betis in the league have seen Real Madrid lose ground in their pursuit of Barcelona, with the gap from first to second now sitting at nine points, which is a substantial lead at this stage of the campaign.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side have to keep winning and hope that Barcelona drop enough points to allow them back into the race, and the reigning Spanish and European champions are entering a key stage of their season. Indeed, next week, Liverpool will head to Bernabeu for the second leg of their last-16 Champions League affair, with Real Madrid leading 5-2 from the first leg at Anfield, and that match will then be followed by the small matter of a trip to Camp Nou to face Barcelona in La Liga. April will open with a home match against Real Valladolid, before Los Blancos again head to Camp Nou, this time for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, with Xavi’s side 1-0 ahead on aggregate.
Real Madrid have picked up 25 points from their 11 home league fixtures this season but will be welcoming an Espanyol side that have managed a respectable 14 points from 12 games on their travels in 2022-23.
Espanyol will not arrive at Bernabeu with too much confidence, having lost six of their last seven league games against Real Madrid, conceding seven times in their last two fixtures with the capital giants.
Earlier this season, Los Blancos ran out 3-1 winners in the reverse match, while it was 4-0 to Real Madrid when the two teams locked horns for the corresponding fixture last term.
Espanyol will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 loss at Real Valladolid last weekend, but they have won two of their last three in the league, which has moved them up into 13th position in the table.
There are only two points separating them from Almeria in 18th, though, so a couple more poor results could see them fall towards the bottom three once again, with a number of teams involved in the relegation battle. The White and Blues dropped into the Segunda Division for the 2020-21 campaign, but they returned to the top level at the first time of asking and managed to claim 14th last season. Diego Martinez’s side will know that they are up against it this weekend when it comes to claiming a positive result, but the visitors will hope that Real Madrid are distracted by the Liverpool fixture.
Real Madrid has been struggling in their domestic competitions since their impressive comeback victory against Liverpool at Anfield. They had a draw with Atletico Madrid, lost to Barcelona 1-0 in the Copa del Rey, and had another draw last weekend against Beltis. Their recent poor performance has resulted in them being eight points behind the top spot in the LaLiga table. Therefore, they must win their next match, or it will be considered a disappointment.
Espanyol had two back-to-back wins but lost their last game against Valladolid. Although they are in the 13th position, they could find themselves in danger if they lose this match since they are only two points away from being in the relegation zone.
Benzema has been a significant contributor for Los Blancos in LaLiga this season, scoring 11 goals and providing 3 assists. To turn their season around, he needs to deliver a match-winning performance in the upcoming game.
Joselu has scored 11 goals for Espanyol in LaLiga this season. As Espanyol is currently struggling, Joselu’s performance will be crucial in their upcoming match against Real Madrid. He is their best hope to achieve a positive result. David Alaba, the central defender, has been absent from the team since the 5-2 victory over Liverpool at Anfield due to a hamstring injury. Left-back Ferland Mendy is also suffering from a muscle injury. Although Luka Modric missed the last game due to suspension, the experienced midfielder should be available for the upcoming match.
Brian Olivan was substituted after sustaining an injury for Espanyol in their last match against Valladolid. Espanyol’s injured list includes Adria Pedrosa and Keidi Bare, who are both suffering from injuries to their groin and ankle. Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Camavinga, Modric, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vini Jr. Pacheco; Oscar Gil, Gomez, Montes, Pierre-Gabriel; Puado, Vinícius Souza, Darder, Denis Suarez; Braithwaite, Joselu
With a strong squad and a seemingly weaker opponent, Los Blancos is expected to have an easy victory. The front three players are anticipated to be the main factors in securing a comfortable win for the home team, allowing them to maintain their position in the title race. Los Blancos have won 15 of their last 17 games against Espanyol in LaLiga At home, Real Madrid have won each of their last eight games against Espanyol in LaLiga Espanyol have not lost any of their last two visits to teams from Madrid LaLigaLaLiga 2022-23: Real Madrid vs Espanyol: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast
