Real Madrid’s 2017-18 La Liga campaign continues Sunday in an important match against Espanyol. Real currently sit sixth in the La Liga table, seven points off the top. They won their last La Liga outing with a 2-1 win over Alaves, but before that had dropped four points in their previous three games.

Espanyol sit 12th in the La Liga table having won two of their last three by combined scores of 6-2.

Real can’t afford to drop many points in outings such as this. Espanyol aren’t a team to take lightly, but at home Real need to grab three points. The chance to drop points in tough road games against tough opponents later in the season becomes more difficult if Real Madrid cannot win games such as this one.

Gareth Bale looks like he will miss out on the match due to some “muscle fatigue”. Or whatever injury seems realistic enough to try and keep him from playing for Wales over the international break. With Marcelo and Benzema both still injured as well Real will be missing three key players for this match.

Luckily Real Madrid have a bench ready to come in and fill the gaps with quality. We’ll likely see Isco, Marco Asensio, and Borja Mayoral in some context. It remains unclear who the attackers will be without Bale and Benzema. It could make sense to deploy Ronaldo and Mayoral in a front two, or you could use Asensio in Bale’s place and keep the front three. It all depends on who Zidane wishes to start in a pretty significant game for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid have looked great in Champions League thus far. It’s due time too marry their performances in Europe’s biggest stage with an effective league win at home.

Projected starting XI:

Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Nacho; Casemiro, Kroos, Modrić; Ronaldo, Isco, Asensio

Espanyol: Lopez, Mata, Hermoso, Lopez, Caricol, Diop, Darder, Fuego, Baptistao, Piatti, Moreno

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA

Date: 10/01/2017

Time: 20:45 CET, 02:45pm EST, 11:45 am Pacific.

Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain.

Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), Sky Sports Football (UK), Canal+ Partidazo (Spain).

Available Streaming: BeIN Sports (USA), Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a summer discount for new members and Managing Madrid readers).

Prediction: Real Madrid 2 (Ronaldo x2) - 0 Espanyol