Real Madrid vs Espanyol - La Liga: TV channel, team news, lineups & prediction | OneFootball

Real Madrid will try to arrest their stuttering La Liga form and make up lost ground on title race leaders Barcelona when they take on Espanyol on Saturday afternoon.

After the emphatic 5-2 win over Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti's side then drew 1-1 with ten-player Atletico Madrid, lost 1-0 to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, and then could only manage a 0-0 draw in the league against Real Betis.

That means a victory is essential at home to an Espanyol side currently down in 13th. Ancelotti will have to keep in mind that the second leg against Liverpool is just a few days later.

Here is all you need to know about the match.

Where are Real Madrid vs Espanyol playing?

Real Madrid vs Espanyol H2H Results (Last Five Games)

Current Form (Last Five Games)

How to watch Real Madrid vs Espanyol on TV and live stream

Real Madrid team news

There are some problems in defence for Los Blancos. They are still without David Alaba and Ferland Mendy, two candidates to play at left-back, so Nacho Fernandez will continue to get game time.

There is a muscular issue for Karim Benzema so he could be rested so he can face Liverpool, while Antonio Rudiger also has a knock. That could mean Nacho moves into the middle and Eduardo Camavinga provides cover at left-back. Ancelotti also welcomes Luka Modric back from injury.

Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Camavinga; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius.

There are still a number of injury issues for Espanyol to deal with when they make the trip south. Dani Gomez, Adria Pedrosa and Keidi Bare were all out for their last match against Real Valladolid and they are expected to remain absent for this match.

Alongside those absentees, Brian Olivan may also be out after he suffered a knock in the Valladolid game. That means Ronael Pierre-Gabriel could come into the starting lineup against the champions.

Espanyol predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Pacheco; Gil, Montes, S Gomez, Pierre-Gabriel; Darder, Vinicius; Puado, Suarez, Braithwaite; Joselu.

Despite the fact Real Madrid have been struggling for form and have some injury concerns, there is not a lot about this Espanyol team that will scare Ancelotti's side.

They are part of a wide-reaching relegation battle in La Liga and they will struggle to make any real impact, especially with Real Madrid being at home. It may not be a huge win, but Los Blancos should get the points.