Real Madrid still have a way to go to catch up with rivals Barcelona but securing another three points against 12th-placed Espanyol will improve chances.
With a win against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night in their Champions League match, Zinedine Zidane will be hoping his team replicate the success in the domestic game.
Madrid are currently seven points behind table-toppers Barcelona and will be eager to close the gap to retain their La Liga title from last season.
| Game | Real Madrid vs Espanyol |
| Date | Sunday, October 1 |
| Time | 19:45 BST / 14:45 EST |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
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In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on Sky Sports Mix and by via online stream using the Sky Go app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Football | Sky Go |
n the US, the match will be available to watch live on television on beIN Sports and by stream via beIN Sports Connect.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
SQUAD & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Real Madrid players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Casilla, Luca |
| Defenders | Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Achraf, Tejero, Hernandez |
| Midfielders | Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Llorente, Asensio, Isco, Ceballos |
| Forwards | Ronaldo, Bale, Vazquez, Mayoral, Benzema |
Dani Ceballos is likely to start following his full debut last week against Alaves saw him score two goals.
Zidane is still missing many key players with Theo Hernandez still out with a dislocated shoulder and Karim Benzema, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo all also all out injured.
Potential starting XI: Navas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Kroos, Ceballos, Casemiro, Isco, Bale, Ronaldo, Mayoral.
| Position | Espanyol squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | P.Lopez, D.Lopez |
| Defenders |
Navarro, Aaron, Naldo, O. Duarte, Didac, Javi Lopez, M. Hermoso, Sergio Sánchez |
| Midfielders | Víctor S., Jurado, Melendo, David Lopez, Javi Fuego, P.Diop, Marc Roca, Granero, Darder |
| Forwards | Jairo, Gerard Moreno, Alvaro, S.Garcia, Leo Baptistao, Hernán Pérez, P. Piatti |
O.Duarte currently has a ligament injury and it's unsure of his exact return. Javi Lopez is also unable to play as a result of a hamstring strain.
Potential starting XI: P.Lopez, Navarro, Naldo, Melendo, Didac, Javi Fuego, Granero, Darder, Gerard Moreno, Leo Baptistao, P Piatti
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
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Madrid are 1/10 favourites to win this match, according to dabblebet , with odds of 20/1 attached to Espanyol gaining three points. A draw is priced at 17/2.
GAME PREVIEW
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Madrid haven't had the best of starts to a season with Los Blancos failing to win in their last three games at Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Sergio Ramos stating Madrid are "on track for the achievements they want" following a win against bottom of the league side Alaves last week and continuing their Champions League success by defeating Dortmund 3-1, securing six out of six points in the group stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo also found the back of the net twice in the Dortmund match which Zidane will hope he can emulate in Sunday's La Liga game and to close the seven points between Madrid and rivals Barcelona.
The hosts are currently on 99 league wins against Espanyol and if they win would become the first team in La Liga history to set 100 wins against the same opponent.
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