Mourinho makes his LaLiga debut with Real Madrid against Espanyol

Mourinho returns to a LaLiga bench with the scoreboard at zero and a full season ahead of him. And it's no small task: against Espanyol, at the RCDE Stadium, this Saturday, August 22, starting at 4:30 p.m. (Argentina and Uruguay), 3:30 p.m. (Chile) and 2:30 p.m. (Colombia, Peru and Ecuador), for matchday two of LaLiga 2026/2027. After a long preseason full of friendlies and photo ops in the new jersey, the soccer that actually counts is back in Spain, and Real Madrid finally kicks off its official cycle under Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach knows this league inside and out, but he arrives with a different squad: several new signings have bolstered a roster that still has Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham as its offensive backbone. The goal is no secret: winning back the league title currently held by Barcelona, champions of the last two editions. And there's no better way to start than with a trip to face a rival that has already hit the ground running with confidence.

Because Espanyol isn't starting from scratch. The Periquitos opened the tournament with a statement win: 3 to 0 over Levante on matchday one, a result that left the Cornella faithful hungry for more. In midfield, everything runs through Edu Exposito, the team's usual engine, who now has new company following the arrival of Alex Calatrava, one of the signings that generated the most excitement during Catalonia's preseason.

On the other side, Real Madrid has yet to make its official debut this season, though the friendlies offered a few hints: the club closed out preseason with a 3-0 win over Schalke 04, a result that works more as a gauge than a guarantee, but is not a bad calling card ahead of a serious test.

What the last meeting showed

Recent history between these two clearly favors the Madrid side. The last time they met was on May 3, 2026, also at the RCDE Stadium, for matchday 34 of LaLiga 2025/2026. That day Real Madrid won 2 to 0, with a brace from Vinicius Junior that summed up pretty well the gap in class on display that afternoon.

Now the context has shifted: there's a new coach on the Real Madrid bench, there are new signings on both sides, and Espanyol arrives with the fresh confidence of a commanding win. The match will be broadcast live on DSports, and it promises to serve as an early benchmark for gauging where this start of the season is headed, both for Mourinho and for the rest of LaLiga.