Espanyol vs Real Madrid Preview: Mourinho’s Return Faces Early Away Test
Jose Mourinho begins his second spell as Real Madrid manager with a demanding La Liga trip to Espanyol. The hosts opened their season with a 3-0 win over Levante and will look to use home advantage against a Madrid side yet to play a competitive match this campaign. Real Madrid have rebuilt heavily after a trophyless season, adding Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva. Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham provide major attacking quality, but several players are unavailable through injury and the squad may lack match sharpness. Espanyol are without Javi Puado, Kike Garcia and suspended captain Leandro Cabrera. Madrid have dominated this fixture historically, winning eight of the last 10 meetings, although Espanyol won 1-0 at home in February 2025. Espanyol could make the contest difficult early on, but Madrid’s superior depth should show as the game progresses. Prediction: Espanyol 1-3 Real Madrid.
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