Official: Real Madrid starting lineup against Espanyol | La Liga GW 22 | OneFootball

Real Madrid will be hoping to maintain their lead at the top of the La Liga table as they take on RCD Espanyol in a couple of hours.

Ahead of kickoff, manager Carlo Ancelotti has announced the starting lineup for the match, with there being some changes made to the team that featured against Brest in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

The biggest news is that Vinicius Jr. is back in the starting XI after missing the last couple of matches due to suspension. He starts on the left flank as usual, with Rodrygo being shifted to the right.

Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in his last La Liga game, starts as the centre-forward for Real Madrid, with Jude Bellingham operating as the attacking midfielder.

Meanwhile, Dani Ceballos makes a comeback to the starting lineup as well, at the expense of captain Luka Modric, who was picked in the UCL game vs Brest. He partners Federico Valverde in the centre of the park.

Ancelotti has once again opted to go with Aurelien Tchouameni as Antonio Rudiger’s centre-back partner while Lucas Vazquez continues at right-back, meaning there is no space for Raul Asencio again.

Fran Garcia replaces Ferland Mendy at left-back while Thibaut Courtois continues in goal as usual.