Our betting expert expects Vinicius Junior to score in a game that produces goals at both ends after the interval.<\/p>\n
Best Predictions for Espanyol vs Real MadridReal Madrid Moneyline @ -130Vinicius Junior to score anytime @ +110Second half – Both teams to score @ +162All odds are courtesy of US Sportsbooks, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.\u00a0
Espanyol\u2019s miserable year to continue<\/p>\n
Neither side takes much form into this contest. Espanyol will likely be the more motivated side as they push for survival. However, it\u2019s hard to fancy Manolo Gonzalez\u2019s team given their dreadful record in 2026.<\/p>\n
Espanyol have picked up just six points from 16 matches since the turn of the year. That is by far the worst record in La Liga. Both individually and collectively, their level has significantly dropped following a bright start to the campaign.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve come up against top-four opponents on three occasions since February. They lost all of those games, conceding four goals against each of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid felt decisions went against them at Real Betis in their last outing. They\u2019ve had more than a week to rest ahead of this match. Assuming they can match the intensity of their struggling opponents, an away win is by far the most likely outcome.<\/p>\n
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction 1: Real Madrid Moneyline @ -130Vinicius to step up without Mbappe<\/p>\n
Kylian Mbappe has suffered a fresh injury setback, ruling him out of this game. Nearly two years into his Real Madrid career, doubts remain over the structure of the side with the free-scoring Frenchman. The likes of Vinicius and Jude Bellingham often seem more threatening when he doesn\u2019t play.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid assumed the decisions went against them in their last outing against Real Betis. They average 2.80 goals per game in La Liga without their star forward. That\u2019s compared to 1.93 goals per game with him.<\/p>\n
Vinicius has registered four goals across the six fixtures when Mbappe didn\u2019t start. He\u2019s likely to assume penalty-taking duties again here. Having netted in back-to-back matches, the Brazilian offers value as an anytime goalscorer bet at the RCDE Stadium.<\/p>\n
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction 2: Vinicius Junior to score anytime @ +110Second half to feature goals<\/p>\n
There are clear trends with both sides that make second-half goals likely. In La Liga, 57% of Real Madrid\u2019s strikes have come after the interval. However, 65% of the goals they\u2019ve conceded have also been in the second half.<\/p>\n
Espanyol have scored more than twice as many goals in the second half, compared to the first half, this term. They\u2019re averaging just 0.36 goals before the break. The Catalan side also concede more frequently in the second period.<\/p>\n
Each of the previous nine Real Madrid matches have seen both teams score. There are clear defensive cracks that the home team will back themselves to exploit. Manolo\u2019s side have conceded 2.00 goals per game on average since the turn of the year, though.<\/p>\n
Overall, backing both teams to score in the second half is at value with an implied probability of 38.2%.<\/p>\n
Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction 3: Second half – Both teams to score @ +162Our analysis: Form of both teamsScore prediction – Espanyol 1-2 Real MadridGoalscorers prediction – Espanyol: Kike Garcia – Real Madrid: Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde<\/p>\n
Espanyol were striving for European qualification earlier in the season, but they remain winless in 2026. That has pushed them towards the relegation battle, with their current tally of 39 points unlikely to be enough for safety. They last played on Monday, drawing 0-0 at home to struggling Levante.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid\u2019s slim title ambitions all but ended when they conceded a 94th-minute equaliser at Real Betis last time out. It\u2019s just one win in six competitive outings for Los Blancos. A 6-4 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich also brought their Champions League campaign to a conclusion a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n
Probable lineups for Espanyol vs Real Madrid<\/p>\n
Espanyol expected lineup: Dmitrovic, Romero, Cabrera, Calero, El Hilali, Gonzalez de Zarate, Exposito, Roca, Terrats, Dolan, Kike<\/p>\n
Real Madrid expected lineup: Lunin, Carreras, Huijsen, Rudiger, Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Tchouameni, Valverde, Brahim, Vinicius, Gonzalo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our betting expert expects Vinicius Junior to score in a game that produces goals at both ends after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[93,8173,85,82,83],"class_list":{"0":"post-16242","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-madrid","8":"tag-espanyol","9":"tag-espanyol-vs-real-madrid","10":"tag-laliga","11":"tag-madrid","12":"tag-real-madrid"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}