Espanyol vs Real Madrid
LaLiga 2018-19
Venue: RCDE Stadium
Kick-off: 7:45pm GMT
Real Madrid will hope to close the gap on Barcelona when they take on Espanyol tonight.
Los Blancos produced perhaps their best performance of the season in the league to beat Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend.
They followed that up with a 4-2 win over Girona in the Copa del Rey on Thursday to lift some of the gloom after an unsteady start to the year.
Score prediction: Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid
Real have gathered some momentum over the last seven weeks - a rariety this season - and with two key players targeting returns from injury, they should have enough to make it three wins on the bounce.
Real Madrid team news
Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale both returned to full training on Friday after injury layoffs, handing the European champions a boost in attack three weeks before their Champions League last-16 tie with Ajax Amsterdam.
Spain international Asensio has been out for over a month with a thigh injury sustained during Madrid's Club World Cup campaign, while their record signing Bale has been sidelined since a 2-2 draw at Villarreal in early January with a calf problem.
Despite their pedigree, Asensio and Bale both face a daunting task in attempting to win a place back in the team ahead of Brazilian teenager Vinicius Jr, who has spearheaded Madrid's return to form in an otherwise disappointing season.
Santiago Solari's side lie third in La Liga, 10 points behind leaders Barcelona, but earned a fourth win in five games in all competitions by beating Girona.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid tickets
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Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Espanyol to win: 16/5
- Real Madrid to win: 4/5
- Draw: 3/1
First goalscorer odds
- Karim Benzema: 7/2
- Borja Iglesias: 4/1
- Vinicius Jnr: 6/1
- Toni Kroos: 10/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
Eleven Sports have secured exclusive rights to La Liga coverage in the UK this season.
Fans can watch the match on Eleven Sports through iOS mobile and tablet apps as well as Android mobile.
You can also follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog with our Spanish correspondent Ben Hayward.
