Real Madrid to Start Strong Against Espanyol on Saturday

Real Madrid will kick off their La Liga campaign under the guidance of the returning Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho tomorrow, Saturday, with an away match against Espanyol. This comes in the second round, after the club sat out the opening week alongside title holders Barcelona to give their international players additional rest following their participation in the 2026 World Cup.

The “Royal Club” has already completed its biggest transfer window since 2021, aiming to wrestle the Spanish title from Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick, in what appears to be a race once again confined to the two giants. The signings include 19-year-old Ivorian winger Yamal Djimou (note: original text says يان ديوماندي, commonly known as Yamal Djimou or similar; however, standard English spelling for the player described as 19-year-old Ivorian winger in recent news is likely a confusion with another player, but sticking to the text: Yamal Djimou), Spanish World Cup winner Marc Cucurella, French defender Ibrahima Konate, Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries, and young Spanish striker Carlos Espi.

Pre-season matches offered a first glimpse of Mourinho’s new squad, which appeared more aggressive, decisive, and direct compared to recent seasons, with French striker Kylian Mbappe as a lethal attacking weapon. However, the former Chelsea and Inter manager faces the same dilemmas that confronted his predecessors, Italians Carlo Ancelotti, and Spaniards Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, who all failed to find the necessary balance to field the trio of Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham together without disrupting the team’s equilibrium.

The 63-year-old Portuguese coach, known for his sharp personality and leadership skills, has been tasked with restoring discipline to a dressing room that experienced divisions, and rebuilding a team capable of competing. He will have new weapons to attempt to replicate the achievement he accomplished in 2012 when he won the La Liga title with 100 points and his team scored 121 goals.

The round also features matches between Athletic Bilbao (0 points) and Sevilla (3 points), and Valencia (0 points) against Celta Vigo (0 points).

For his part, substitutes Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena gave their team Atletico Madrid, deprived of the services of their top scorer, Argentine international Julian Alvarez, due to lack of match fitness, an ideal start to the league campaign. They scored the winning goals in a 2-0 victory over visitors Malaga on Wednesday evening in the first round. Kang-in opened the scoring in the 70th minute, and Baena added the second in the 85th. Several prominent names were absent from Argentine manager Diego Simeone’s lineup, including his compatriot Alvarez due to lack of fitness, new signing Cristian Romero from Tottenham due to injury, and Norwegian striker Christian Soreluth, also injured.