Espanyol – Real Madrid: official lineups for Mourinho’s first match

Live 15’ LaLiga Spain

Espanyol

0

:

Real Madrid

1

José Mourinho officially kicks off his new tenure at Real Madrid with a tricky away trip to Espanyol Barcelona.

After two seasons without winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, or the Champions League, Real Madrid opens its 2026-2027 campaign at the RCDE Stadium. Kick-off for this Catalan fixture, in the backyard of neighbors FC Barcelona, is set for 8:30 pm Algerian time. With their opening match postponed, Mourinho’s men jump straight into action in matchday two.

Official lineups for Espanyol – Real Madrid

Manolo González fields a compact side, while Mourinho opts for an especially attacking 4-2-3-1 formation.

Espanyol’s official lineup: Dmitrovic – El Hilali, Riedel, Unai Núñez, Hinojo – Calatrava, Urko González, Edu Expósito, Dolan – Javi Hernández, Roberto Fernández.

Real Madrid’s official lineup: Courtois – Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Carreras – Valverde, Bernardo Silva – Güler, Bellingham, Vinicius – Mbappé.

The main surprise concerns Yan Diomandé. Although the Ivorian signing was expected to start against Espanyol, the record €125 million transfer will instead begin on the bench. Mourinho is favoring an experienced setup, with Valverde and Bernardo Silva anchoring the midfield and providing balance behind a top-class attacking quartet.

Kylian Mbappé faces his anomaly

Leading the line, Kylian Mbappé has a double mission: to guide Real Madrid to victory and finally open his account at the RCDE Stadium. The Espanyol ground remains one of the few Spanish stadiums where Mbappé has yet to score. After bagging 42 goals in 44 games across all competitions last season—including 25 in the league—the Frenchman is undoubtedly Madrid’s main weapon.

Facing an Espanyol side that already swept aside Levante (3-0), Real Madrid cannot afford to treat this trip as a formality. A victory would guarantee nothing yet, but it would immediately ease the pressure on Mourinho and validate the manager’s first choices as he looks to return Los Merengues to the summit.

See also: Atlético de Madrid: Diego Simeone makes an announcement about Julián Álvarez

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

Related teams and leagues

Espanyol

Real Madrid

LaLiga Spain