Espanyol are coming into this match in poor form. They lost their opening game of the new season heavily and have only won one of their last five matches, with a few defeats and a draw in that time. They are struggling to find consistent results and will be under pressure at home.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, had a mixed end to their last campaign, with two wins and three losses in their final five games. However, they have historically had the better of this fixture, winning most of their recent meetings against Espanyol, and these games have often been high-scoring. While Espanyol did win their last encounter, Real Madrid are the stronger side overall and are expected to come away with the win here.