Espanyol: flying out of the blocks after an uneven summer

Espanyol’s preseason offered few convincing signs, but their competitive campaign began in completely different fashion. The Catalan side produced an outstanding 3-0 victory over Levante, restricting their opponents to zero shots on target and recording their strongest La Liga opening in more than four decades.

There are still some selection issues to deal with. Javi Puado and Kike García are both unavailable through injury, while Leandro Cabrera is suspended. Roberto Fernández, however, made an immediate impact, scoring twice in the opening fixture and giving Espanyol a reliable attacking outlet.

Real Madrid: Mourinho’s comeback faces an early road challenge

José Mourinho has returned to the Real Madrid dugout after a 13-year absence and is now working with a considerably reshaped squad. The club enjoyed a largely positive preseason, winning five of their six friendlies, with the only draw coming in a 2-2 encounter against Fiorentina.

The visitors still have several fitness concerns. Jude Bellingham and Marc Cucurella are not yet fully ready, while Aurélien Tchouaméni has only recently returned to action. Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, Thiago Pitarch, and Raúl Asensio remain sidelined. Even so, Madrid enter the fixture in good spirits, with Mourinho already introducing a more aggressive pressing approach during preseason.

Probable line-ups

Espanyol: Dmitrović, Inojo, Núñez, Riedl, El-Hilali, Expósito, González, Dolan, Hernández, Calatrava, Fernández.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Dumfries, Konaté, Heisen, Carreras, Valverde, Silva, Díaz, Güler, Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé.

Match facts and head-to-head record

Espanyol began their league campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Levante.

Across their last seven home meetings with Real Madrid, Espanyol have recorded three wins and four defeats.

Real Madrid have won the second half in five of their last six encounters with Espanyol.