Real Madrid Vs Espanyol Betting Tip: Both To Score – 30 April 2022

Real Madrid Vs Espanyol

Saturday 30 April, 2022 – 15:15 (BST)
Spanish La Liga
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 28 April 2022)

Preview: Four consecutive league victories has moved Real Madrid within a point of claiming their 35th La Liga title. However, with an important European fixture at this ground to come in midweek, could the runaway leaders fall foul to distraction when 13th-placed Espanyol arrive seeking a first win at Santiago Bernabeu since April 1996?

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Real Madrid – UCL second leg cause for distraction?

I’m not sure any of us have truly recovered from Tuesday’s remarkable Champions League contest at Etihad Stadium, as Real Madrid gave as good as they got but still fell short in a 4-3 loss against Manchester City. Still, the Spanish-champions elect are very much alive in the tie, which could end up impacting the strength of their starting XI for this weekend’s La Liga visit from Espanyol, who beat them in the reverse fixture.

Several players were either running on empty or picked up knocks in midweek. So, with an unassailable lead atop La Liga – a point will see them officially crowned champions on Saturday – expect Carlo Ancelotti to ring out the changes. Los Blancos do, however, posses the form to potentially compensate for any rotation in personnel, winning eight of their past nine league games including the last four in a row.

Key Stat: Having recorded five clean sheets across six La Liga games from the start of February to the middle of March, Real Madrid have only managed one defensive shutout in five subsequent league outings – though still won four of the games in question.

 

 

Espanyol – Top-half finish still on the agenda?

The last time this club achieved a top-half La Liga finish was 2018/19, when a return of 53 points from 38 games was good enough for seventh in the table. Although they are unlikely to equal that tally – they would need to win all of their remaining matches – the incentive to finish their first season back in the top-flight since demotion at the end of 2019/20 is there. But it appears the players haven’t got the memo.

Losing at home to Rayo Vallecano last time out made it three defeats in four (W1) while also maintaining their love affair for tight games. Espanyol’s last six contests were all settled by a single goal or ended in a draw (W2 D1 L3). Evidence, perhaps, that they can keep the scoreline at the Bernabeu competitive. Though a six-game winless away run, losing four, suggests a memorable victory in Madrid might be beyond them.

Key Stat: A 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad on 4 April remains the only instance of Espanyol not scoring in an away La Liga game since mid-December, Vicente Moreno’s team having found the net in all but one of their last eight away league games.

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Real Madrid Vs Espanyol Betting Advice

With the second leg of their Champions League tie against Man City at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if 1/ we saw a much-changed Real Madrid XI for the visit of Espanyol from that which pushed the English side close in Manchester on Tuesday, and 2/ a lack of focus. That being said, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be crowned La Liga champions should they avoid losing here.

 

 

At the odds, I still believe the hosts are worth laying in some capacity. The problem being Espanyol aren’t the tidiest of travellers. Across their last six away matches they would only avoid defeat at 19th-placed Levante and 17th-placed Cadiz. The boring pick then would be goals. Espanyol have scored in seven of the last eight La Liga away games while Real Madrid did concede in four of their last seven home league games.

Best Betting Odds – Real Madrid Vs Espanyol

Real Madrid – 1/2 (WilliamHill)
Draw – 7/2 (Bet365)
Espanyol – 6/1 (Betfair)