Real Madrid and José Mourinho get the sequel up and running with their LaLiga season starting on Saturday at Espanyol.
The Catalan side have started the season well and will be a tough test for a squad -- and a manager -- that's facing a lot of questions. Can Madrid make a statement in their first game and lay the marker down for the other Catalans in the league, the defending champions Barcelona?
Here's everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch:
The match will be available to watch on Disney+ in the UK, ESPN in the U.S., FanCode in India, and beIN Sports in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates here.
Key Details:
Date, kick-off time:
UK BST: Saturday, Aug. 22, 8.30 p.m.
U.S. ET: Saturday, Aug. 22, 3.30 p.m.
India IST: Sunday, Aug. 23, 1 a.m.
Australia AEST: Sunday, Aug. 23, 6.30 a.m.
Venue: RCDE Stadium, Barcelona
Referee: TBA
VAR: TBA
Injury and Team News
Espanyol
Leandro Cabrera, D, suspended, OUT
Javi Paudo, F, knee, OUT
Kike Garcia, F, hamstring, OUT
Real Madrid
Éder Militão, D, thigh, OUT
Ferland Mendy, D, knee, OUT
Raúl Asencio, D, muscle, OUT
Thiago Pitarch, M, knee, OUT
Endrick, F, muscle, DOUBT
Rodrygo, F, knee, OUT
Expected Lineups
Espanyol Predicted XI (4-2-3-1)
Marko Dmitrovic
Omar El Hilali | Clemens Riedel | Unai Núñez | Roger Hinojo
Urko Gonzalez | Edu Expósito
Javi Hernandez
Tyrhys Dolan | Roberto Fernández | Alex Calatrava
Real Madrid (4-3-3)
Thibaut Courtois
Trent Alexander-Arnold | Ibrahima Konaté | Dean Huijsen | Marc Cucurella
Federico Valverde | Aurélien Tchouaméni | Jude Bellingham
Bernardo Silva | Kylian Mbappé | Vinícius Junior
Talking Points
The José Mourinho show returns to Madrid
Sure, there's Kylian Mbappé, there's Vinícius Júnior, there's Jude Bellingham, there's Bernardo Silva... but the man who'll be the main draw on Saturday will be the man in the dugout. José Mourinho's first stint at Real Madrid was explosive, toxic, semi-successful and he'll want more of everything on his return.
It has been an... interesting summer at Madrid. Big name -- and big money -- signings have arrived, but not all of them have made tactical sense (at face value). For one there's the big question of how they will line up, and for another there's the question Ryan O'Hanlon asks here: What are they doing? How Mourinho melds all these assorted pieces of the puzzle will determine how his return goes, and he has a much better chance if Messrs Mbappé and Vinícius fire from day one.
Was Espanyol's start an indication of a surprise season in store?
Espanyol are coming off an absolute statement performance, a 3-0 win over Levante -- a scoreline that perfectly summed up their domination. They created 1.47xG to 0.19, an xGOT of 2.27 to 0, took 16 shots to four, and had 15 more touches in the opposition box. Manolo González's youngsters were irresistible and will look forward to facing Madrid and Mourinho at home.
If they take points off Madrid, it could be an indication that there's another team in Catalunya that will worry sides across Spain this season.
What do the numbers say?
Expect three points, for someone: Espanyol and Real Madrid have not drawn in their last 24 meetings.
Espanyol have won three of their last seven home meetings with Real Madrid, the latest in February 2025. But expand it a bit more, and you'll see Real Madrid have won 11 of 15 previous visits to RCDE Stadium.
This will be Mourinho's first competitive match in his second Real Madrid stint after 13 years away.