Real Madrid would go head to head with Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Saturday evening hoping to close the gap to Barcelona at the top of the La Liga standings. Los Blancos are currently just two points behind the Catalans so a victory this weekend could mean that they can temporarily go top for 24 hours with Barca playing on Sunday.
Julen Lopetegui could opt for a fluid 4-3-3 formation and might choose to bring both Marco Asensio and Thibaut Courtois back into his first-team.
4-3-3 Real Madrid Predicted Lineup To Face Espanyol
Defence
Thibaut Courtois will return in goal as Madrid’s first-choice keeper in Lopetegui’s starting XI once again after Keylor Navas featured in their midweek win against AS Roma. The centre-half pairing of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos will continue at the middle of the Galacticos backline after they managed to keep a shut-out on Wednesday night. Marcelo would resume his responsibilities as the left-back while Dani Carvajal looks to provide an outlet down the right flank.
The Madrid defenders have not kept a clean sheet in the league since their opening La Liga match versus Getafe which would be a cause for worry. However, this weekend’s game against Espanyol will serve as an excellent opportunity for them to keep it tight at the back and earn a clean sheet.
Midfield
The fantastic trio of Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric are going to line up at the middle of the pitch. All three midfielders have begun the season in decent form and could make a significant contribution against Espanyol going forward.
However, Isco might have to settle for a place on the bench despite scoring two goals in Madrid’s last two matches in all competitions.
Attack
The brilliant front three of Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale are expected to lead Lopetegui’s attack up top. Asensio has caught the eye with some dazzling displays over the past few weeks so Madrid would hope that he can put on another excellent performance for them against their Catalan opponents.
Bale scored a majestic breakaway goal against Roma on Wednesday night and could find the back of the net once again when he laces up to face off against the Espanyol defence this weekend. The Welsh international has already scored four goals and grabbed three assists in 6 matches for Los Blancos across all competitions.
