A week later than most, Real Madrid commence their quest to become La Liga champions again. After back-to-back trophyless campaigns, Florentino Pérez has turned to José Mourinho, who is back in charge in the Spanish capital 13 years after departing. So, will the 63 year old make a winning start to his second stint in charge of los Blancos against Espanyol on Saturday night?
Espanyol vs Real Madrid match info
- Date: Saturday 22 August 2026.
- Kick off times: 9:30pm (local) and 3:30pm (ET)
- Competition: La Liga matchday 1
- Venue: Estadi Cornellà-El Prat - Barcelona, Spain
- How to watch: ESPN+ (USA), Movistar+ & DAZN (Spain) and Disney+ (UK).
How can I watch Espanyol vs Real Madrid?
Country | Broadcasters |
|---|---|
United States | ESPN |
Spain | Movistar+ & DAZN |
United Kingdom & Ireland | Disney+ |
Canada | TSN Premium |
Australia, New Zealand and Arab countries | beIN SPORTS |
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan & Portugal | DAZN |
Netherlands | Ziggo Sport 2 |
Africa | SuperSport |
Espanyol vs Real Madrid match preview
The last two seasons have been complete disasters for Real Madrid, so will this campaign be any different? As recently as 2024, los Blancos were the best team in the world, winning the La Liga title by ten points, as well as beating Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League Final at Wembley. Since then though, los Merengues have added no major silverware to their bulging cabinet, with both Carlo Ancelotti and then Xabi Alonso, the latter after only 34 games in charge, shown the door.
They spent the second half of last season in a state of stasis, with Álvaro Arbeloa in charge, once again ending up second to Barcelona, dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich. So now, can José Mourinho work his magic? During his first stint, up against Pep Guardiola's all-time Barça team, Mourinho delivered a league title, the Copa del Rey and a Supercopa de España, with more of the same expected. So, how will his new team look on opening night in Catalonia?
As for Espanyol, to describe last season as strange would be a massive understatement. At Christmas, having just won five games on the spin, the Blanquiazules were dreaming of a Champions League place. Thereafter however, they failed to win any of their next 18 matches, losing 12 of them, so ended up in a relegation battle. Luckily, in May, Manolo González's team managed to end the streak and beat both Athletic Club and Osasuna, thereby finishing 11th.
Unlike Real Madrid, the home side did commence their campaign last weekend, hammering Levante 3-0 at RCDE Stadium. Roberto Fernández bagged a first half brace, before Englishman Tyrhys Dolan made the points secure. Los Blancos have won 21 of their last 24 encounters with Espanyol, albeit the three exceptions are all defeats in Catalonia, beaten there in 2018, 2021 and 2025. So, will the visitors avoid a Saturday night shock at Estadi Cornellà-El Prat?
Espanyol team news
Following last weekend's excellent win over Levante, there's little reason for Manolo González to change too much. New signing Álex Calatrava will keep his place in attack, while Quilindschy Hartman could debut, having joined on loan from Burnley.
Real Madrid team news
It has been a busy transfer window for Real Madrid, so José Mourinho could have numerous debutants. Ibrahima Konaté and Bernardo Silva bot started last weekend's friendly win over Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, thereby expected to do so here too. Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries and new €140 million winger Yan Diomandé all came off the bench, giving José Mourinho plenty of options.
In attack, Vinícius Júnior signed a new contract, despite interest from Arsenal, but Kylian Mbappé remains the main man. He has bagged 86 goals in 103 appearances for the club, including two in three against Espanyol. Ferland Mendy, Éder Militão, Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo are injured.
Predicted Line-ups
- Espanyol predicted lineup: Dmitrović; El Hilali, Nuñez, Riedel, Hinojo; González de Zárate, Expósito, Hernández; Calatrava, Dolan, Fernández.
- Real Madrid predicted lineup: Courtois; Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Silva, Güler; Diomandé, Vinícius, Mbappé.
- Score prediction: Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid
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