La Liga 2026–2027: Espanyol vs. Real Madrid, Probable Lineups

The unusual start to La Liga (some teams have played two games, while others have yet to take the field) doesn’t spare even Real Madrid, which begins its campaign as the main rival to defending champions Barcelona right in Catalonia against a well-established team, Espanyol, at the RCDE Stadium, a venue located between Cornellà and El Prat de Llobregat. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m., with José María Sánchez Martínez officiating.

Under the guidance of Manolo González for the third consecutive season, Espanyol is in its third consecutive season since returning to the top flight and aims not only to avoid relegation but also to finish in the top ten of the league for the first time since 2018–2019, when it finished seventh. The opening matchday delivered a great victory against Levante: the final score was 3-0, with Roberto Fernández Jaén leading the charge with a brace and Thyrys Dolan scoring the final goal ten minutes before the 90th minute.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, is playing its first official match of the season: after struggling in the immediate post-Ancelotti era and finishing a season without titles—with Álvaro Arbeloa trying to lift the spirits of a team negatively affected by Xabi Alonso’s failure— Florentino Pérez has returned to his old ways by turning to José Mourinho, who is back with the Blancos after his previous stint from 2010 to 2013. Summer friendlies yielded four wins (against Leganés, Ferencváros, Deportivo La Coruña, and Schalke 04) and just one draw, against Fiorentina.

Probable lineups

ESPANYOL (4-2-3-1): Dmitrovic; El-Hilali, Riedel, Nuñez, Hinojo; U. Gonzalez, Lozano; Calatrava, Hernandez, Dolan; Fernandez. Head Coach: M. Gonzalez.

REAL MADRID (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Bernardo; Diomande, Arda Güler, Vinicius; Mbappé. Head Coach: Mourinho.