La Liga: Real Madrid Ready for Their Coronation

Real Madrid vs RCD Espanyol

Real Madrid are on the cusp of being crowned La Liga champions for a record 35th time. Los Blancos only need to avoid losing at home to 13^th-placed Espanyol to seal their title.

Getting a draw at the Bernabeu against a mid-table foe doesn’t seem all too daunting, and the La Liga 2022 betting odds unsurprisingly have Real heavily favoured to win at home.

But with their Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester City looming on the horizon, might Real slip up and make their fans wait a while longer?

Talking Points

Real Madrid could rest for Champions League clash

Real Madrid winning the La Liga title has been a foregone conclusion for the last few months. They are 15 points clear of rivals Barcelona and Sevilla, with the latter missing several opportunities to make it a much closer title race.

Meanwhile, Real have continued to rack up wins in the league. They have won eight of their last nine, with their only defeat coming in El Clasico against Barca.

Real beat Osasuna 3-1 in their last league outing, although it could have been more if Karim Benzema had not missed two penalties.

But Benzema made amends for those misses as he bagged a brace in Real Madrid’s 4-3 defeat to Manchester City in their semi-final first leg. And to prove he wasn’t fazed by his recent misses, Benzema did a Panenka to score a late penalty which keeps Real in the tie.

Carlo Ancelotti is likely to make several changes to his side against Espanyol to rest his key players – including Benzema, Luka Modric, and Vinicius Jr – ahead of the second leg.

But Real’s second-string side, which will likely feature Rodrygo, Marco Asensio, and Eduardo Camavinga, still possesses a lot of quality, enough to get the draw they need to clinch the title.

Real will also have home advantage, which has been big for them this season. They have won 11 of their 16 home league games, with four draws and just one defeat.

Espanyol slowing down

Espanyol’s first season back in La Liga has been a success. They are currently in 13th place with 39 points, a comfortable nine points clear of the relegation zone.

With their status in the Spanish top-flight secure, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Espanyol’s overall effort level slowly begins to wane.

Espanyol’s recent La Liga 2022 results have slipped as they’ve lost three of their last four games, although two of those were very narrow away defeats to Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid. On both occasions, Espanyol lost due to stoppage-time penalties.

However, Espanyol lost 1-0 at home to mid-table Rayo Vallecano last time out. It was a disappointing performance from Espanyol, who saw their five-game unbeaten run at the RCDE Stadium come to an end.

As has been the case for most of the season, scoring enough goals is still a big concern for Espanyol. They have scored just twice in their last four games.

Raul de Tomas remains their lone reliable source of goals. The Spanish international has 15 goals on the season, including two in his last four. As a former Real Madrid player, de Tomas will not be short on motivation to take on his old club.

Espanyol have been disastrous away from home this season. They have won just once in 16 games – tied for the fewest in the division – with five draws and 10 defeats.

History

Real Madrid have absolutely dominated Espanyol in recent years. They have won 21 of their last 26 league meetings, with only three draws.

However, Espanyol beat Los Blancos in their first meeting this season. Raul de Tomas and Aleix Vidal gave the Catalans a two-goal lead, while Karim Benzema pulled a goal back.

But it will be an uphill battle for Espanyol to beat Real in Madrid. Espanyol’s last win at the Bernabeu came all the way back in 1996.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Real Madrid installed as significant 1.51 favourites to clinch the title with a victory. Espanyol are priced at 5.80 to spoil Real’s party, while a draw is 4.20.

While Ancelotti is likely to field a less than full-strength side for this match because of their upcoming Champions League clash with Man City, Real Madrid should still get the point they need to clinch the championship.

Look for Los Blancos to get off to a fast start right out of the gate and take a lead into half-time as they celebrate their title at home.

 

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