LIVE: Espanyol vs Real Madrid: La Liga

Live Match, Published On 22 Aug 2026 Real Madrid kick off their La Liga campaign at Espanyol, as Jose Mourinho returns to Los Blancos 13 years after his last stint as coach. The match at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain kicks off at 9:30pm local time (19:30 GMT). 12 UpdatesEspanyol ‘have to compete at our best,’ coach Manolo Gonzalez saysEspanyol coach Manolo Gonzalez said his side have to be mentally strong against Real Madrid as he spoke at a news conference ahead of the game.“We have to compete at our best. I want us to stand up to Real Madrid and be mentally strong, no matter how many setbacks we might receive. It will be a demanding game,” he told journalists.He said the team need to “defend as well as possible, stick together and be well organised”.“We have to defend well for every minute of the game and attack intelligently because they are a team that you can hurt, just like any other.”Manolo Gonzalez applauds the fans after a match [File: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters]Espanyol off to winning ways with 3-0 win over LevanteWhile Real Madrid have had a late start to their season, Espanyol got off to winning ways in their first La Liga game of the campaign.Espanyol striker Roberto Fernandez netted two first-half ⁠goals as ⁠his side cruised to a comfortable 3-0 home win over Levante on Sunday.The 24-year-old bundled the ball over the line in the ⁠fifth minute after the visitors failed to clear a free kick and doubled the advantage with another poacher’s finish from a Javier Hernandez pass five minutes ‌before the break.While the visitors failed to get a shot on target, Espanyol winger Tyrhys Dolan saved his team’s best for last, drifting across the box and lashing a shot back across the face of goal and in at ⁠the far post after 80 minutes ⁠to complete the rout.Fernandez celebrates scoring Espanyol’s second goal against Levante [Alex Caparros/Getty Images]‘I’m more mature, less emotional and more in control’ insists MourinhoMourinho’s first Madrid spell was defined by his rivalry with Pep Guardiola and a Barcelona side that dominated Spanish football.Clasicos became increasingly bitter during his time in Madrid, with touchline confrontations, accusations of refereeing bias and a succession of heated encounters making the rivalry increasingly dark and compelling.Mourinho’s Madrid eventually ended their rivals’ domestic dominance by winning the title in 2011-12 with a record 100 points.This season, Madrid visit Barcelona in late October in the first Clasico of the campaign, already eagerly awaited.The Portuguese says he returns as a different coach, more mature after years of experience in England, Italy, Turkiye and elsewhere.“I’m much more mature, less emotional, and more in control … as always, learning from mistakes,” said the 63-year-old this week, although he insisted he was not “more boring”.Mourinho gives instructions to Eduardo Camavinga during a preseason friendly [Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images]‘The team must go ahead of personal feelings,’ warns MourinhoMourinho repeatedly stressed the importance of collective responsibility in a squad packed with elite talent, while making clear that individual ambitions must come second to the team.“What we need is to not negotiate things that are non-negotiable. Commitment is mandatory,” he said.“The team must go ahead of personal feelings. ⁠Tomorrow will be the first time the players will have to deal with it. I ⁠can’t start a match with 15 players.“I don’t want easy decisions, that would be benching a player who got frustrated because he didn’t play what he thought he would. I want to make hard decisions, want players that don’t fall into the trap of frustration. I want players who ⁠work harder to earn a spot in the team.”Mourinho also addressed the challenge of accommodating Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr in the same side while maintaining balance.“I don’t ⁠think these positions are incompatible; I’m very confident we’re going to have a ⁠great season,” Mourinho said.“It’s obvious that I can’t build the team around each of them like Brazil do with Vini, France with Mbappe and England with Bellingham. It’s harder for me to find a place for all three of them, but that’s where we are.”Mourinho returns with calm words and hard edge as Real reset beginsJose Mourinho walked into his first Real Madrid news conference three minutes early on Friday, but the message was deliberate: Commitment ⁠is non-negotiable, competition is unavoidable and frustration over selection decisions will not be tolerated.Three days after his formal unveiling behind closed doors, Mourinho faced the media at Real’s Valdebebas training complex before Saturday’s La Liga opener at Espanyol, speaking for more than ⁠40 minutes in a notably measured tone.Despite Real entering the season after back-to-back trophy-less campaigns and with pressure mounting on President Florentino Perez, who recently secured re-election, Mourinho rejected the idea that the club was gripped by anxiety.Instead, he said the mood was one of anticipation.“We are tired of playing friendlies. We don’t love football because of friendlies, we are all eager to ‌jump right back into competitive football,” Mourinho said.“I wouldn’t say the feeling here is pressure … It’s more like adrenaline. Which is positive, that pump. I don’t feel pressure. Because I have a lot of confidence in the work we’ve put in and in the players’ hunger, commitment.”Mourinho during a preseason friendly match against FC Schalke 04 [Christof Koepsel/Getty Images]Espanyol’s early team newsKike Garcia (hamstring), Javi Puado (knee) and Leandro Cabrera (suspended) all miss out for Espanyol.Edu Exposito (muscle) faces a late fitness test following the opening day 3-0 win against Levante.Predicted starting XI:Dmitrovic (GK); El-Hilali, Riedel, Nunez, Hinojo; Gonzalez, Lozano; Calatrava, Hernandez, Dolan; FernandezReal Madrid’s early team newsMadrid have a long list of absentees for their season opener with Eder Militao (muscle), Rodrygo (knee), Raul Asencio (thigh), Ferland Mendy (hip), Endrick (muscle) and Aurelien Tchouameni (muscle) all missing out.Jude Bellingham’s match fitness is set to be assessed and a place on the bench may be most likely.Predicted starting XI:Courtois (GK); Dumfries, Huijsen, Konate, Cucurella; Valverde, Bernardo; Diaz, Guler, Vinicius; MbappeReal Madrid officially present Mourinho in bizarre closed-door ceremonyMourinho’s return to Real Madrid had already been under way for several weeks, but the club made it official ⁠with a bizarrely understated ceremony at their training centre.The second coming of the self-appointed “Special One”, as Mourinho dubbed himself when appointed Chelsea manager in 2004, is loaded with nostalgia, risk and unfinished business.The Portuguese manager, who began work with the squad when preseason started on July 10, signed a ⁠contract until June 2029 in the boardroom of Ciudad Real Madrid alongside club President Florentino Perez and honorary President Jose Martinez Pirri.For a club accustomed to spectacle, the silence was almost the statement.Real, however, are heading into the new La Liga season after two consecutive years without a trophy while Perez, recently re-elected but far from ‌the untouchable figure of old, is facing growing scrutiny from an impatient fanbase.Mourinho framed his return as something more significant than a job.“This is coming home. Emotionally, it’s even better than the first time because back then it was a feeling of reaching the very top of the world, whereas now it’s more emotional and heartfelt,” Mourinho told the club’s official television channel in an unusual presentation away from the fanfare and spotlight.Get instant alerts and updates based on your interests. Be the first to know when big stories happen.