| Real Madrid vs Espanyol | |
| MATCH | La Liga |
| DATE | 23 - 08 - 2026 |
| TIME | 01.00 AM IST |
| STADIUM | RCDE Stadium |
Espanyol vs Real Madrid: Match Preview
Espanyol made an impressive start to the 2026-27 La Liga season, securing a convincing 3-0 victory over Levante. Roberto Fernandez was the standout performer, scoring twice to give Manolo Gonzalez’s team an ideal opening-day result.
The Catalan club finished 11th in La Liga last season after experiencing two very different halves of the campaign. Espanyol initially looked capable of challenging for European football, but a difficult second half saw them fall down the standings.
Espanyol have made several changes to their squad during the summer, bringing in five new players while allowing 10 to leave. The reshaped squad will now face one of its biggest early tests against Real Madrid.
The hosts lost both league meetings with Madrid last season, with Los Blancos winning 2-0 on each occasion. However, Espanyol have already shown that they can cause problems for the Spanish giants, having recorded a 1-0 home victory over Madrid in February 2025.
The historical record strongly favours Real Madrid, who have won 119 of their 201 previous meetings with Espanyol, compared with 46 victories for the Catalan side.
Real Madrid will be looking to make a winning start to their La Liga campaign after missing the opening round of fixtures. Their match against Real Sociedad has been postponed until August 26 because of the number of Madrid players involved in the latter stages of the 2026 World Cup.
With Barcelona having won the Spanish title in each of the last two seasons, Madrid will be determined to reclaim the championship this term.
Los Blancos enjoyed a strong pre-season, winning four of their five matches. Their victories included successful outings against Ferencvaros, Deportivo La Coruna and Schalke 04.
Real Madrid have also been extremely active in the transfer market. Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella, Carlos Espi, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva have all arrived, giving the squad additional depth and quality.
Vinicius Junior has also committed his future to the club by signing a new contract, further strengthening Madrid’s position heading into the new campaign.
Recent Form
Espanyol: W
Real Madrid: W, D, W, W, W
Team News
Espanyol will be without Kike Garcia, who is recovering from a hamstring problem, while Javi Puado is sidelined with a knee injury. Leandro Cabrera is also unavailable due to suspension.
Edu Exposito remains a doubt after suffering a muscle issue during the latter stages of the victory over Levante. If he fails to recover in time, Pol Lozano could be brought into the starting XI.
Roberto Fernandez is expected to retain his place in attack after his impressive two-goal performance on the opening weekend.
Real Madrid have several injury concerns of their own. Eder Militao, Rodrygo, Raul Asencio and Ferland Mendy are all unavailable because of injury.
Endrick and Aurelien Tchouameni have also been left out after suffering muscle problems.
Jude Bellingham could begin the match on the bench due to his limited pre-season involvement. New signing Yan Diomande may also have to settle for a place among the substitutes.
Real Madrid are expected to hand competitive debuts to Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva, while Kylian Mbappe is set to lead the attack.
Espanyol’s strong opening-day performance means Real Madrid cannot afford to underestimate their opponents. However, with a powerful squad, impressive pre-season form and the motivation to challenge for the La Liga title, Madrid will enter the fixture as favourites.
