Real Madrid will be hoping to extend their 38-game unbeaten run in La Liga when the reigning Spanish champions take on Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Real Madrid’s return to domestic competition comes just four days after a late comeback against Stuttgart in the Champions League opener, with Los Blancos claiming all three points in a 3-1 win thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rüdiger and Endrick.

Now Real Madrid must turn their attention back to La Liga, where Ancelotti’s men trail Barcelona by four points after five games. Hansi Flick has made the Catalans start his first season as manager a perfect one, while Real Madrid stumbled in their opening games against Mallorca and Las Palmas.

The 36-time La Liga champions have won all of their matches so far in September, despite an injury crisis that forced Federico Valverde to play in a double pivot alongside Luka Modric last weekend. The returns of Jude Bellingham and Aurélien Tchouaméni against Stuttgart gave Real Madrid a much-needed boost ahead of a busy six-game schedule over the next three weeks.

Before Los Blancos can look ahead to the Madrid derby or their next Champions League match, they must beat Espanyol on Saturday. Manolo Gonzalez’s side recorded an impressive goalless draw against Atletico Madrid before beating Rayo Vallecano and Alaves.

While the hosts still go into the match as heavy favourites, Real Madrid have struggled to score from open play against a low block, with four of Los Blancos’ nine La Liga goals this season having come from the penalty spot. Furthermore, Ancelotti is likely to rotate his starting XI to rest recently returned players such as Bellingham and Tchouaméni to avoid strains, with the Frenchman reportedly still suffering from discomfort in his foot during the UCL clash in midweek.

Luka Modrić and Arda Güler could be in line for selection as Ancelotti works to keep his squad fit and fresh just a week ahead of the Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid clash.

Expected lineup for Real Madrid against Espanyol: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde,
Modrić, Güler; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius

If Ancelotti really wants to rotate his team, Endrick, Fran García and Lucas Vázquez could also get plenty of work done against Espanyol.

Real Madrid vs Espanyol kicks off on Saturday, September 21 at 3pm (Eastern Time).