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Real Madrid (20-8-3) at Espanyol (5-9-17)
La Liga Soccer: Sunday, June 21, 2020 at 4:00 pm (RCDE Stadium)
The Line: Espanyol +575 / Draw +370 / Real Madrid -235 -- O/U: 2.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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Espanyol play host to Real Madrid in La Liga soccer action from the RCDE Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Espanyol come into this match in last place in the La Liga table, sitting in 20th with 24 points and a record of 5 wins, 9 draws and 17 losses after a 1-0 loss to Real Betis in their last match. In the loss to Betis, The first half saw three bookings, two to Espanyol, but no scoring. The second half though, Betis would break the deadlock three minutes after the half and Espanyol would be held to just 35% possession in the game and 42% in the second half, failing to take advantage of their opportunities and eventually leaving the match empty-handed at full time. Wu Lei and Raul de Tomas lead Espanyol with 4 goals apiece while Adrian Embarba, Jonathan Calleri and Matias Vargas each have 3 assists for Espanyol this year. Diego Lopez is Espanyol’s top goalkeeper, conceding 1.54 goals per 90 minutes with 4 clean sheets in 30 league appearances this season.
Real Madrid on the other hand, continue to sit in the driver’s seat in the La Liga standings, leading the way on 68 points with a record of 20 wins, 8 draws and 3 losses after a 4th straight victory in the form of a 2-0 win over Mallorca in their last match. In the victory over Mallorca, Junior Vinicius gave Real the lead after just 19 minutes and the lead would hold into the second half where Sergio Ramos doubled Madrid’s lead. Real would hold Mallorca’s possession to just 42% in the second half, and would stifle the visitors all the way up to the final whistle, giving Real Madrid the win and the three points to go along with it to keep themselves at the front of the pack in the La Liga standings. Karim Benzema leads Real Madrid with 17 goals along with 6 assists while Sergio Ramos has 8 goals. Daniel Carvajal, Federico Valverde, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos each have 5 assists this season. Thibaut Courtois leads Real Madrid in goal, conceding 0.61 goals per 90 minutes with 14 clean sheets in 28 league appearances this season.
In a classic first vs. worst, David vs. Goliath matchup, I’d like to give Espanyol a fighting shot against Real. However, even with no fans in the stands this season, Espanyol’s been the worst home team in La Liga this year, with just two wins and 11 points in 15 home matches this season. Real on the other hand, is the best away team in the league with 28 points and eight wins in 15 matches and looked good against Sociedad in their first away match since the restart. Even though the teams have changed over the years, Real Madrid’s record at Espanyol in the league since 2009? 9 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss and the majority of those have been shutout wins for Real Madrid. I’ll side with that trend to continue here, so I’ll back Real Madrid to win with both teams to score – no for plus money here.
Chris’s Pick Real Madrid to win & Both Teams to Score - No (+140)
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
