The three reasons why Zidane fears teams down at the bottom

It is second against bottom. A perfect opportunity to win and go back top with a two point cushion over Barca. However, Zidane is not getting complacent. It is not surprising given Madrid's record this season. 

To start with, the three defeats Real Madrid have suffered this season against teams towards the bottom of the table. They were against Mallorca, Levante and Betis. 

Secondly, those three losses were all away from home so the Frenchman knows they will have to work for the win at the RCDE Stadium. 

And thirdly, those three losses meant Real Madrid lost top spot to Barcelona. That will happen again if Espanyol beat 'Los Blancos'. 

Zinedine Zidane had already warned in Saturday's press conference that they could get an unpleasant surprise if they did not put lots of effort in.