Espanyol vs Real Madrid Prediction 1 February 2025

🔊 How will the "Whites" fare on their visit to "Cornellà-El Prat" in the 22nd round of La Liga? Carlo Ancelotti's team is gradually increasing their lead over their closest pursuer in the league table. Away matches against Espanyol are rarely easy, but the "Galacticos" are simply obliged to achieve a result against a team situated in the relegation zone. Let's look at the bookmakers' odds: victory for the "Parakeets" - 9.5, victory for the "Whites" - 1.3. In this prediction, our editorial team has thoroughly examined the current agenda and tried to assess how justified these odds are.

📊 H2H

The upcoming match will be a milestone (200th) in the history of head-to-head encounters between Espanyol and Real Madrid. Let's focus on the outcome statistics: 45 wins for the "Parakeets," 36 draws, and 118 victories for the "Whites." In the first round of this La Liga season, the "Galacticos" achieved a more than convincing victory at "Santiago Bernabéu" (4:1).

🔵 ESPANYOL

Espanyol has not lost in 2025 yet - 2 draws and 1 win. However, each of the "Parakeets'" opponents was from the lower half of the league table. The Catalan team defends with a low block from match to match, which should complicate the opponent's work in creating sharp moments. In the last round of La Liga against Sevilla (1:1), Espanyol's tactical setup resembled a 4-5-1, with Roberto Fernández Jean as the forward. It's worth noting that the Spanish striker joined the Spanish club just a couple of weeks ago, moving on loan from Portuguese Braga. The rather narrow positioning of players facilitates most of the "Parakeets'" attacks through the middle of the field. One of the team's main "playmakers" is Czech midfielder Alex Král. Notably, on average per game, the 26-year-old midfielder regains possession for his teammates 4.4 times.

⚪ REAL MADRID

Things are gradually improving for Carlo Ancelotti and company. Currently, the "Whites" have a winning streak of 5 matches in a row. The main positive for fans of the capital club is their return to the top position in the Spanish championship. The Italian specialist has refrained from excessive tricks and uses a 4-2-3-1 formation for most of the season. The pair of holding midfielders in this setup must cover large areas of the field while acting as a link between defense and attack. The most problematic position for the "Galacticos" seems to be right-back. In some cases, Ancelotti has even resorted to using Federico Valverde there. There have been attempts to use young Raúl Asensio in this role, but the 21-year-old Spaniard lacks attacking abilities to maintain the pace of attacks. Considering these factors, it's not surprising that Real sought to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold in this transfer window. Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão remain in the visitors' infirmary.

⚽️ GOAL PREDICTION

In each of Real Madrid's last 10 matches, at least three goals have been scored. A similar trend is observed in the previous 5 head-to-head meetings between the teams. Given that Carlo Ancelotti will be able to rely on all his attacking leaders in the upcoming round, there is little doubt that we will witness productive football. Our choice is total over 2.5 goals.

🚩 CORNER PREDICTION

The vertical football played by Espanyol, almost devoid of flank activity, affects the average number of corners earned by the team - about 4 per game. In comparison, the "Whites" approach the corner flag no less than 5.6 times per match. Let's also look at the corner ratio in head-to-head encounters: 7.2 against 4 in favor of the "Galacticos." It seems most rational to predict - Real's victory in corner kicks with a handicap (-2).

📝 MATCH PREDICTION

Apart from Real Madrid being in good form, it's important to note significant progress in the "Parakeets'" game as well. Moreover, the Catalan team regularly poses an obstacle for the "Whites." For example, over 6 head-to-head matches at "Cornellà-El Prat," the hosts have not lost by more than 2 goals. Furthermore, the Barcelona-based team is most effective in home matches - 18 points from 11 games (7th result in the league). A final score of 1:2 seems plausible. Our key bet is Espanyol with a handicap (+2).