Espanyol vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid edge Espanyol in tight contest
Bellingham and Espí secure a narrow win for the visitors.
Real Madrid claimed a slender 2-1 victory over Espanyol in La Liga, with J. Bellingham opening the scoring early on and Carlos Espí sealing the win at the 90th minute. Álex Calatrava's first-half strike gave Espanyol hope, but it wasn't enough to prevent the visitors from taking all three points. Fipster's low-confidence prediction for an away win proved accurate, nailing the exact scoreline.
Outcome probability
The new La Liga season kicks off with a tantalising fixture between Espanyol and Real Madrid. Both teams are eager to set the tone early, with Espanyol bolstered by the loan arrival of Q. Hartman, while Real Madrid look to leverage their strong finish last season.
Key facts
- 1.Espanyol finished 11th last season with 46 points from 38 games.
- 2.Real Madrid finished 2nd last season with 86 points from 38 games.
- 3.Real Madrid have a goal difference of +54, significantly better than Espanyol.
- 4.Real Madrid average 2.26 points per game compared to Espanyol's 1.21.
- 5.Espanyol have added Q. Hartman on loan ahead of the new season.
- 6.The predicted fulltime score is 2-1 in favour of Real Madrid.
- 7.Total cards predicted in the match are four.
The context
Espanyol finished 11th last season with 46 points, while Real Madrid secured 2nd place with 86 points. The Merengues boast a significantly better goal difference and points-per-game ratio, setting the stage for a competitive clash.
Analysis
Real Madrid's superior goal difference of +54 and a points-per-game average of 2.26 compared to Espanyol's 1.21 suggest a tactical and quality edge. Espanyol's new loan signing, Q. Hartman, adds fresh options, but the visitors' consistency and firepower are expected to prevail.
Prediction
The forecast is a 2-1 win for Real Madrid, reflecting their dominance in the league and ability to edge tight encounters. The predicted scoreline aligns with the highest probability outcome favouring the away side.
The verdict
While Espanyol will put up a fight, Real Madrid's quality and league credentials make them favourites to start the season with a victory. Expect a closely contested match with the Merengues just shading it 2-1.
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Bellingham
Assist: Güler
Calatrava
Assist: Javier Hernandez
Vinícius Júnior
Yellow Card
Calatrava
Yellow Card
Riedel
Yellow Card
Güler
Fernández
Calatrava
Riedel
González
Javier Hernandez
Dumfries
Silva
Bellingham
Edu Expósito
Yellow Card
Edu Expósito
Milla
Yellow Card
Lozano
Yellow Card
Espí
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barcelona | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 9 |
| 2 |  Real Madrid | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 9 |
| 3 |  Atletico Madrid | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| 11 |  Real Sociedad | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 4 |
| 12 |  Espanyol | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 13 |  Athletic Club | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
Match Statistics
Espanyol
4-4-2Starting XI
- 4Urko GonzálezM
- 5C. RiedelD
- 8Edu ExpósitoM
- 9Roberto FernándezF
- 13M. DmitrovićG
- 14Unai NúñezD
- 21Roger HinojoD
- 22Álex CalatravaM
- 23O. El HilaliD
- 24T. DolanM
- 28Javier HernandezF
Substitutes
- 1Ángel FortuñoG
- 3Q. HartmanD
- 10Pol LozanoM
- 11Pere MillaM
- 16V. DrkušićD
- 17Jofre CarrerasF
- 18Marcos FernándezF
- 20Gabriel MoscardoM
- 26Rafel BauzàM
- 27Adama TimeraF
- 31Llorenç SerredG
- 32J. A. LopezD
Real Madrid
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 1T. CourtoisG
- 4D. HuijsenD
- 5J. BellinghamM
- 7Vinícius JúniorM
- 8F. ValverdeM
- 10Kylian MbappéF
- 15A. GülerM
- 16I. KonatéD
- 18Álvaro FernándezD
- 20Bernardo SilvaM
- 24D. DumfriesD
Substitutes
- 6E. CamavingaM
- 12T. Alexander-ArnoldD
- 13A. LuninG
- 17Marc CucurellaD
- 19Carlos EspíF
- 21Brahim DíazM
- 22A. RüdigerD
- 25Y. DiomandeF
- 26Sergio MestreG
- 29J. Cestero SanchoM
Espanyol
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Álex Calatrava | M | 38 | 7.3 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/1 |
| Javier Hernández | F | 38 | 7.0 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1/2 |
| Edu Expósito(C) | M | 38 | 6.7 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/2 |
| Roberto Fernández | F | 38 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Unai Núñez | D | 38 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tyrhys Dolan | M | 38 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Roger Hinojo | D | 38 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/2 |
| Marko Dmitrović | G | 38 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Urko González | M | 38 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clemens Riedel | D | 38 | 6.2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Omar El Hilali | D | 38 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Vanja Drkušić | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pere Milla | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pol Lozano | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jofre Carreras | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Angel Fortuno | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marcos Fernández | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Quilindschy Hartman | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gabriel Moscardo | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rafael Bauzà | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Llorenç Serred | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| José Ángel López | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Adama Timera | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Real Madrid
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jude Bellingham | M | 38 | 7.7 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/3 |
| Arda Güler | M | 38 | 7.2 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0/1 |
| Federico Valverde(C) | M | 38 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kylian Mbappé | F | 38 | 6.7 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | 0/1 |
| Vinícius Júnior | M | 38 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Dean Huijsen | D | 38 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Thibaut Courtois | G | 38 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bernardo Silva | M | 38 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Denzel Dumfries | D | 38 | 6.5 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Ibrahima Konaté | D | 38 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Álvaro Carreras | D | 38 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1/1 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Antonio Rüdiger | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brahim Díaz | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eduardo Camavinga | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marc Cucurella | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Andriy Lunin | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sergio Mestre | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carlos Espí | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Yan Diomande | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jorge Cestero | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |