The defending La Liga champions kept up their impressive start to the season with a 4-1 victory over Celta Vigo last weekend. Luka Modric scored an absolute beauty of a goal, which is already in consideration for the goal of the year.
We went 3-0 on our bets from the Real Madrid game last weekend so let’s keep up the momentum.
Espanyol faltered against Rayo Vallecano. They couldn’t capitalize on Rayo Vallecano picking up a red card in the 16th minute before they received a red card in the 30th min of the match. Espanyol are now 0-1-1 on the season looking to pick up their first win of the year this weekend.
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Let’s look at the betting odds for this Week 3 matchup between Espanyol and Real Madrid.
Ani Sridhar’s 2022-23 La Liga Betting Record: 6-3, +3.6 units
Espanyol v Real Madrid Odds
- 3-way handicap: Real Madrid -225 | Espanyol +550 | Draw +360
- Over/Under Goals: Over 2.5 ( -175) / Under 2.5 (+120)
- Both Teams to Score: Yes -130| No -105
Espanyol v Real Madrid odds are current as of Aug. 24 on BetMGM Sportsbook.
This is Real Madrid’s third straight away game to start the season but we’ve lost value on betting on their moneyline.
Espanyol has conceded two goals in both their games this year and both games that Madrid has played so far have gone Over the game total of 2.5.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Betting Tips
Expect Goals from Real Madrid and a Defensive Lockdown
Espanyol is going to have trouble breaking through this Madrid defense. It took the team a couple of games but the backline is now cooking. Antonio Rüdiger has been a fantastic addition and besides the goal scored by Almería in the 6th minute of their first game, Madrid has not conceded a goal during the run of play for over 170 minutes.
Yes, they did give up a goal to Celta Vigo, but it was from the penalty spot to Iago Aspas.
Celta Vigo actually out possessed the defending champions in the last game but they were restricted to only two shots on goal.
After scoring two goals in their season opener, Espanyol failed to find the back of the net against Rayo Vallecano. They’ll be relying on Joselu to create more and to find space behind the Madrid backline.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction
Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid
This will be Madrid’s first shutout victory of the season. They’ll go into their home opener next weekend against Real Betis with nine points and the lead in the La Liga table. Expect Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. to cause problems for the Espanyol backline and put the Madridistas in the driver's seat in this game.
The last time these two teams played each other, Madrid won 4-0 at the Bernabeu. They’ve also won six of the last eight matchups between the two sides with five of those wins coming via shutout.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Best Bets
➕ Both Teams to Score: No (-105) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 unit
I usually love betting that both teams will score but it feels like a trap in this game since that has happened in Madrid’s first two games. As mentioned above, I expect the Madrid defense to limit the number of chances Espanyol will have and the home side lacks a true striker that can make the best out of small chances.
This bet has hit in six of the last eight matches between the two sides.
Thibaut Courtois is also off to a great start this season with six saves and a 85.7% save percentage after two games.
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➕ Clean Sheet Regular Time: Real Madrid Only (+155) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 unit
I’m doubling down on Espanyol not scoring with betting the clean sheet for Real Madrid. The other bet I considered was the game total, but there is no value on the Over 2.5, and I don’t have the confidence in Espanyol to bet the Over 3.5.
I can definitely see Madrid scoring three goals themselves, but to hit the high total of 3.5, we would need the help from the home side to score.
- Bet on Real Madrid to win at BetMGM.