Espanyol 2 - 1 Real Madrid

Espanyol v Real Madrid: Preview

Updated: October 19, 2007, 4:13 PM UK

BARCELONA, October 19 (Primera Liga) - Real Madrid will be without several key players for Saturday's tough trip to in-form Espanyol.

Arjen Robben, Robinho and Gabriel Heinze are all unavailable, while Pepe is also unlikely to feature in Barcelona.

Dutch winger Robben picked up an injury on international duty with Holland and will be out for around six weeks, while Robinho was left out of the squad after returning late from Brazil's World Cup qualifier with Ecuador.

Coach Bernd Schuster showed sympathy for Robben on Friday.

"Arjen is very down,'' said Schuster. "It is a big blow for him. He came here desperate to show what he could do and this is a big blow mentally for him. We'll have to try and lift him.''

However, the German coach was clearly less amused by Robinho's situation.

"I don't like it at all,'' he added. "I'll have to hear his version, but we must try and avoid this kind of situation in future.''

Meanwhile, Argentina defender Heinze remains sidelined with a long-term problem and Portugal defender Pepe is still short of fitness following his recent injury.

However, there is better news concerning Guti and Fabio Cannavaro.

Both the Spanish midfielder and the Italy defender had appeared doubtful for Saturday's game, but returned to training on Thursday and should now start against Espanyol.

Schuster praised Espanyol's attacking qualities, but claimed the Barcelona-based side remain inconsistent.

"They have players like (Albert) Riera, (Raul) Tamudo, Valdo and Luis Garcia who are capable of creating goals,'' he added. "But the team have two faces. They have beaten Sevilla and Valencia, but also struggled against Deportivo and Getafe.''

Nevertheless, the former Getafe coach expects the Catalans to be highly-motivated for the game against Real Madrid.

"Teams are always highly-motivated against Real Madrid and it will be the same on Saturday,'' he said.

Real have won six of their seven matches this season and lead the Primera Liga by two points from bitter rivals Barcelona.

Espanyol are also on great form. The Barcelona-based side have won four of their last five matches and lie in fifth place after seven rounds of the championship.

Most observers believe the Catalans can aspire to a place in the UEFA Cup this season, but goalkeeper Carlos Kameni claims his side can challenge for a place in the Champions League.

"Why shouldn't we be thinking about the Champions League?'' he said. "We are not Real Madrid or Barcelona, but we have some excellent players and a great team spirit. Why shouldn't we aim high? There is no reason why we can't finish in the top four.''

Kameni also believes his side can beat Real on Saturday.

"We have beaten Sevilla and Valencia, we are playing well and I see no reason why we can't beat Real Madrid as well,'' he said.

Angel Martinez, David Garcia, Javi Chica, Rufete and Francisco Javier Martinez are all sidelined for Espanyol, but Ivan De La Pena looks set to return after four months out through injury.

The experienced playmaker tore an abductor muscle in June and was initially expected to be out for just two weeks.

However, the problem then worsened, causing the player to miss all of the club's pre-season preparations and the start of the current campaign.

Coach Ernesto Valverde is pleased to have De La Pena back.

"He is an important player for us and his return will give everyone a big lift,'' he said.

However, Valverde refused to reveal whether the former Barcelona and Lazio midfielder would start against Real on Saturday.