Julen Lopetegui's Real Madrid look to get back to winning ways in the league after a draw in Bilbao last time around, while Espanyol, under manager Rubi, will hope to build on Sunday's home victory over Levante.
TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid: 'Los Blancos' should have a full squad at their disposal, though after fielding a strong team against Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday and with another tough midweek fixture coming in the form of Sevilla, Lopetegui may be forced to make changes and rotate his squad.
Espanyol: The Catalan side will likely be without star centre-half David Lopez, who is expected to take a place on the sidelines with an injury.
Lopetegui: "It's set to be a very demanding game, I'm sure of it. They are a much-improved team and they're well rounded in several aspects. They've had all week to get ready for this game and we'll be forced to play very well if we want to win tomorrow. It's the toughest test we've faced so far this season at the Bernabéu. That's the way the fixtures fall. We've got seven games in three weeks. It's normal at a Champions League team and a club like Real Madrid. We have to go into it naturally and make the best decisions in each game, knowing the strength in depth we've got at our disposal more than ever."
Rubi: "We go with the flag of hope, but if we do not work hard and with efficiency then there is nothing to do. We are in a good moment and we travel with the intention of battling to win the match. We hope that the team can compete as much as possible to get the three points."
FORM
DID YOU KNOW?
The last time these two sides met, Espanyol shocked the media with a stoppage-time winner from Gerard Moreno in a 1-0 victory.
BESOCCER PREDICTION: 3-0 Real Madrid
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Modric, Ceballos, Kroos, Bale, Mariano, Asensio.
Espanyol: Diego López, Javi López, Naldo, Hermoso, Vilà, Darder, Roca, Granero, Baptistão, Borja Iglesias, Sergio Garcia.