Real Madrid only lost one of their last five games in La Liga. Even so, Barcelona managed to increase their advantage at the top of the standings to nine points. With only 14 games left, Real Madrid must return to the winning column as soon as possible.
Their first chance will be on Saturday when they play host to Espanyol, another team determined to bounce back in order to avoid falling into the relegation zone. As expected, Los Blancos come in as the soccer betting favorites, but keep in mind that Los Periquitos scored in each of their last seven road games.
Real Madrid: Lack of Goals
After becoming the first team to score five goals at Anfield during a UEFA Champions League game, Real Madrid only scored one goal in their last three games in all competitions. That’s unacceptable for a team whose roster includes Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and Federico Valverde.
First, they drew 1-1 to Atletico Madrid. Later, they lost 1-0 to Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 16. Most recently, they drew 0-0 to Betis despite winning possession with 63 percent and finishing with 15 shots in total, seven more than Los Verdiblancos.
As previously mentioned, Los Blancos shouldn’t suffer so much to score. Benzema is one of the league’s top scorers with 11 goals. In fact, only Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona has scored more with 15. Junior and Valverde scored seven goals each.
Defensively, they’ve shown some improvement, but they really miss Ferland Mendy. The left-back is injured and won’t be coming back for at least two more weeks. The good news is that David Alaba is expected to return. He can play as a left-back or a center-back.
Regarding the soccer lines, Los Blancos are offering a -385 price. After all, they remain unbeaten when playing at home thanks to a 7-4-0 record.
Espanyol: Tough Loss
Last weekend, Espanyol lost 2-1 to Real Valladolid despite winning possession with 56 percent. That result allowed Valladolid to get out of the relegation zone and put Los Periquitos in trouble. Both have 27 points, only two more than Almeria, the team sitting in 18th place.
Curiously enough, Los Periquitos have lost one more game at home than on the road, making them a tempting underdog. By the way, they’re offering a +1025 price in the sportsbook to win straight up. That means a $100 wager could turn into an $1125 payout.
Los Periquitos have a lethal attacking duo of their own in Joselu and Martin Braithwaite. Joselu has scored 11 goals while Braithwaite has scored eight. He scored the goal against Valladolid, meaning you can expect him to be highly motivated. The two of them are the main reason for you to consider including the visitors in your soccer picks.
As mentioned before, win or lose, Espanyol scored in each of their last seven road games, including a 1-1 draw to Barcelona at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid vs Espanyol Head-to-Head
- Previous Matches: 184
- Real Madrid Victories: 110 (397 goals)
- Espanyol Victories: 40 (206 goals)
- Draws: 34
Real Madrid had no trouble fulfilling their role as betting online favorites in the previous meeting with Espanyol. Los Blancos won 3-1 with Junior and Benzema as the scorers. The Frenchman scored a brace. Curiously enough, the referee didn’t show a single yellow card. However, he showed a red card to Espanyol goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte right before the end of the match.
Another curious fact is that there hasn’t been a single draw between these two in their last 10 clashes. Los Blancos won eight of those matches, five at Santiago Bernabeu. That’s another huge reason for them to be heavily favored in the Las Vegas soccer odds.
Real Madrid vs Espanyol Match Information
- Match: Real Madrid vs Espanyol
- Date: Saturday, March 11th
- Time: 8 a.m. ET
- Location: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
- Real Madrid vs Espanyol Live Stream: fubo.tv
Real Madrid vs Espanyol Betting Lines
Real Madrid vs Espanyol Picks and Prediction
If you ask me, the La Liga title race is over. Only a catastrophe could prevent Barcelona from winning the title. That being said, I think Real Madrid will focus on winning the UCL and they’ll play host to Liverpool only four days after facing Espanyol. The Reds recently scored seven goals against Manchester United. Therefore, I don’t expect Los Blancos to go all-in against Los Periquitos, that’s why I recommend you wager on the draw, which is offering a +500 price in the latest soccer odds.
Real Madrid is listed at -430 in our Vegas Bundesliga lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Real Madrid, you have a chance to win $23. The Espanyol is +1100, offering a chance to win $1100 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Real Madrid an 81.13% chance to win, with Espanyol at 8.33%.
Real Madrid vs Espanyol Match Detail
