ESPANYOL VS REAL MADRID PREVIEW & PREDICTION
Espanyol gets a big visit on Tuesday evening, because no one less than Real Madrid is visiting the RCDE Stadium.
Espanyol :
With 28 points from 25 rounds and a 15th place, Espanyol is working on a gray season. Also last Friday night visiting the Deportivo La Coruna of Clarence Seedorf knew the Catalans with a goalless draw again no impression. With a run, visitors were certainly not allowed to complain, as goalkeeper Diego Lopez kept his team on his feet by turning a penalty. The season at the end of the season knew two of the three penalties he fired this season.
In any case, Espanyol is now seven competition matches in a row without victory. Never before in his career as a trainer did Quique Sanchez Flores stay without a victory for so long. With a lead of nine points on the relegation zone, there is still nothing to worry about, although the blue whites have to be careful. The main problem is the lack of scoring power. Against Deportivo La Coruna, the team with the most opponents in La Liga, the Catalans came to only nine goal attempts, only one of them actually between the posts.
Espanyol scored only 22 league goals this season and is almost completely at club top scorer Gerard Moreno, who with ten goals is one of the few bright spots in the RCDE Stadium. According to the assailant, however, Espanyol should not worry too much: “We have indeed been without a victory for a while, but we do not have to put extra pressure on ourselves. If we play our own game, the next win is only a matter of time. ”
Real Madrid:
Real Madrid received a storm of criticism this season, but the Madrid team this week with victories in successively Real Betis (3-5), Leganes (1-3) and Alaves (4-0) again showed that they still be able to lay top football from the top shelf on the mat. The resurrection of Los Blancos is largely due to Cristiano Ronaldo, who with twelve goals in his last seven matches is the male again. In those seven matches, good for six victories and a draw, the Madrid players scored no less than thirty times in total. Conclusion: if CR7 scores loose, Real Madrid will score.
Also Gareth Bale last weekend with a goal again a penny in the bag. Earlier this week, sports newspaper Marca reported that the Welshman may look forward to a new club next summer, but against Alaves he played a strong game. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas could also look back on a great game, because thanks to three excellent rescues he managed to keep his goal clean for the first time since the World Cup for club teams. “That’s what I stand for,” said the down-to-earth Costa Rican.
All in all, trainer Zinedine Zidane succeeded in getting his team back on track after a noisy period. The 3-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League eighth finals was the tipping point according to the French coach: ‘We have been playing a lot better since that victory.’ It is praised that he is constantly recording it for his players, even if those like Karim Benzema are in a difficult phase. ‘Benzema is under a magnifying glass, because he is the number nine of Real Madrid.
Pressure is part of it, but for me it is my first choice. ‘ Last weekend Benzema shot from the penalty spot the 4-0 against the ropes, but in general I think he scores far too little. Benzema has an xG (Expected goals) of 9.80 this season, but only scored four times. Then as a striker, you jump very inefficiently with your chances. Click here if you want to read more about the principle of Expected goals.
PREDICTION: Real Madrid to win @ 1.47
