Real Madrid will look to end their three-game losing run as they host Espanyol on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos are having a terrible start to 2015. They lost against Valencia in La Liga and were also defeated by Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
More importantly, they have lost Sergio Ramos, who will be sidelined for the Espanyol match out of precaution, as he’s been suffering from muscle problem since the Club World Cup in December. That means Raphael Varane will feature at centre-back alongside Pepe.
Carlo Ancelotti will also miss Daniel Carvajal due to yellow-card suspension, meaning that Alvaro Arbeloa will be among the eleven starters. Luka Modric is also out through injury.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas will return to the starting line-up after resting in the Copa del Rey. Ancelotti could choose to keep Sami Khedira in midfield after his good performance against Atletico, but that would force him to bench Isco, Gareth Bale or James Rodriguez. If Khedira stays out, Isco will pair with Toni Kroos once again.
Espanyol’s manager Sergio Gonzalez will welcome Victor Sanchez, who missed the previous game due to suspension. However, he will miss former Real Madrid Castilla man Lucas Vazquez, whose loan contract forbids him to play against Los Blancos. Eric Bailly is also a loss, having been picked to play the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
Possible line-ups:
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Bale, Isco, Kroos, James Rodriguez; Benzema, Bale.
Espanyol: Casilla; Arbilla, Colotto, Alvaro, Fuentes; Montanes, Canas, Abraham, Sanchez; Garcia, Caicedo.
