Real Madrid will begin their 2026-27 La Liga campaign on Saturday evening when they travel to face Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium.
José Mourinho is back in the Real Madrid dugout for a second spell and will be targeting a winning start as his side attempt to reclaim the title from Barcelona, while Espanyol have already opened their campaign with an impressive 3-0 victory over Levante.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid – Match preview
Espanyol made an excellent start to the new season, beating Levante 3-0 on August 16 with Roberto Fernández scoring twice. Manolo González’s side finished 11th last season after a strong first half of the campaign was followed by a significant drop-off, but the opening-day performance offered encouragement ahead of the visit of the Spanish giants.
The Catalan club have made five signings during the summer while allowing 10 players to leave, giving the squad a different look for the new campaign. Their home record against Real Madrid has also provided occasional encouragement, with Espanyol winning 1-0 when the sides last met at the RCDE Stadium in February 2025.
Real Madrid did not play on the opening weekend because their first league fixture against Real Sociedad was postponed following the number of players involved deep into the 2026 World Cup. That match will now be played on August 26, meaning Mourinho’s first competitive match since returning to the club comes in Barcelona.
Madrid’s pre-season ended with four victories from five matches, including three successive wins over Ferencváros, Deportivo La Coruña and Schalke 04. They have also strengthened considerably, bringing in Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konaté, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Yan Diomande and Carlos Espí.
The overall head-to-head record heavily favours Real Madrid, who have won 119 of the 201 previous meetings, compared with 46 Espanyol victories and 36 draws. Madrid have also won five of the last six league meetings, although Espanyol’s 1-0 home victory in February 2025 demonstrates that the fixture can produce surprises in Barcelona.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid – Team News
Espanyol will be without Kike García and Javi Puado, while Leandro Cabrera is suspended. Edu Expósito is a doubt after being substituted during the victory over Levante with a muscle problem. If he is unavailable, Pol Lozano is expected to move into midfield alongside Urko González.
Roberto Fernández is expected to retain his place at the head of the attack after his two-goal performance against Levante. Tyrhys Dolan and Álex Calatrava should provide attacking support, with the hosts otherwise expected to make relatively few changes from their opening-day XI.
Real Madrid have a longer injury list. Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Raúl Asencio and Ferland Mendy are unavailable, while Endrick and Aurélien Tchouaméni have also been left out of the squad. Tchouaméni has returned to training but is not yet considered ready to play.
All six of Madrid’s summer signings have been included in the squad, meaning Dumfries, Konaté, Cucurella and Bernardo Silva could all make their competitive debuts. Jude Bellingham is another selection question after limited pre-season involvement and could begin on the bench, with Arda Güler expected to operate in the number 10 role.
Predicted Lineups
Espanyol: Marko Dmitrović; Omar El Hilali, Clemens Riedel, Unai Núñez, Roger Hinojo; Urko González, Pol Lozano; Álex Calatrava, Javi Hernández, Tyrhys Dolan; Roberto Fernández.
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois; Denzel Dumfries, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konaté, Marc Cucurella; Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva; Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior; Kylian Mbappé.
How to watch Espanyol vs Real Madrid
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2026
Kick-off: 8:30pm BST / 12:00am IST
Venue: RCDE Stadium, Barcelona
Spain: Orange TV and DAZN
The match is scheduled for 9:30pm local time in Spain. Real Madrid’s official match information confirms Orange TV and DAZN as the broadcasters.
What we say: Espanyol 1-3 Real Madrid
Espanyol’s opening-day victory means Madrid should expect a competitive contest, particularly in the early stages. González’s side already have three points on the board and will have the confidence that comes from keeping a clean sheet while scoring three times.
The visitors, however, have substantially greater individual quality and have strengthened in almost every area of the squad. Mbappé, Vinícius and Brahim give Madrid considerable pace and creativity in the final third, while Valverde and Bernardo Silva should provide control in midfield.
The main question is how quickly Mourinho’s new-look side can establish their rhythm in a competitive match. Several new signings are expected to debut and Bellingham may not start, but Madrid should still create enough chances to overcome the hosts.
Our prediction: Espanyol 1-3 Real Madrid.
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