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A week after their draw away against Real Betis, Real Madrid enter a long trip to Catalonia where they face off against two Catalan sides back-to-back, both away from home.
The first of the two games is against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium – a venue that does not bring back the fondest of memories for Los Blancos.
In their last four trips to the venue, Real Madrid have won twice and lost twice. In the past six games, the two teams split the spoils with three wins apiece.
Espanyol have been having a mixed season so far this term and currently sit in the bottom half with 39 points after 33 games.
Considering that relegation-threatened Sevilla are on 34 points in as many games, Espanyol will wish to avoid a defeat to stay away from the relegation zone.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Espanyol vs Real Madrid.
A need to stop the bleeding
Real Madrid’s form after the international break has not been anything to celebrate, and the team’s win over Deportivo Alaves in La Liga seemed to have stopped the bleeding.
The reality, however, was far from what was expected as the team faltered in the immediate next match-day once more.
Time for Arbeloa’s men to step up. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Their record in La Liga, in particular, is despicable in recent times and it has been several years since the club has recorded such poor results back-to-back in the competition.
In their last four league games, the team have suffered one loss and two draws and won just one game. The results have seen them plummet below Barcelona in the standings to a point where the league is now virtually lost.
Even in the broader picture, Real Madrid now have just one win in their last six games across all competitions and it is high time the squad step up at least to save face.
The need to stop the bleeding has never been more real, and Alvaro Arbeloa must get his troops to realise the importance of the situation.
Zero room for error
At this point in La Liga, just a few results are enough to decide the title and Real Madrid are not on the right side of the equation.
Barcelona are indeed on the cusp of sealing the title and winning a second straight La Liga, and they could well win it on the ongoing match day.
Should the Catalans beat Osasuna on Saturday night, even a minor slip-up by Real Madrid is enough to seal the title and crown them champions.
Should Real Madrid win against Espanyol, the title can be decided in El Clasico where Los Blancos will be in a must-win situation once again.
At this point, there is thus simply no more room for any error and Real Madrid are treading a tightrope.
Another setback will further antagonise the Real Madrid management. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
A draw or defeat tomorrow night will seal the title in favour of their arch-rivals, something the team simply cannot afford as it will mean they will face Barcelona next weekend with the Catalans crowned the champions.
Concurrently, they cannot afford to lose El Clasico for it will see Barcelona win the title on the field against them – something that will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.
The dressing room, thus, needs momentum now more than ever and they will look to tread the tightrope without faltering on Sunday night.
Setback or boost?
The most significant absentee from Real Madrid’s clash this weekend is Kylian Mbappe who left the field injured against Real Betis last weekend.
The Frenchman has been ruled out of the clash against Espanyol and was expected to make it back in time for El Clasico. Recent reports, however, cast a shadow of doubt on his participation against Barcelona as well.
Not having the star player, on paper, is a massive blow especially given how he has carried the team’s goalscoring all season. Practically, however, the impact of his absence is debatable.
While Mbappe is indeed a player who leaves his mark on the field without fail, Real Madrid have not done too badly in his absence this season. In fact, their best weeks this season have all come during his injuries.
More importantly, his return to the squad also happens to coincide with the team’s poor patch of form and they have crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and lost out in the league title race all after he returned to the dynamics.
How Alvaro Arbeloa approaches the critical period with Mbappe thus remains to be seen, but what will be interesting to see is whether his injury serves as a boon or a bane for Real Madrid.
