Sanchez Martinez appointed for Real Madrid’s delayed La Liga opener at Espanyol

Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez will referee Real Madrid’s delayed La Liga opener against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday, a fixture that brings back an unhappy memory for the Spanish club.

The match will be Real Madrid’s first appearance of the new La Liga season after their opening-round fixture was postponed.

Sanchez Martinez, who was born in Murcia, is regarded as one of Spain’s leading top-flight officials. According to Mundo Deportivo, he had been strongly considered for a place at the World Cup this summer, but the final selection went to his fellow Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez.

Saturday’s game will be only the second La Liga meeting between Espanyol and Real Madrid to be overseen by Sanchez Martinez.

The first took place on 27 February 2018, when Real Madrid suffered a 1-0 away defeat against Espanyol. That result remains a negative part of the club’s history with the referee and will add an extra layer of interest to his appointment for the latest meeting.

The fixture will also mark the beginning of Sanchez Martinez’s La Liga campaign this season. He has already taken charge of a match in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League.

Real Madrid are the team he has refereed most often in La Liga, having officiated 42 matches involving the club.

Under his leadership, Real Madrid have recorded 27 victories, seven draws and eight defeats.

His most recent Real Madrid assignment came on the 37th matchday of last season, when the club defeated Sevilla 1-0 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in May.

The match before that ended in a defeat for Real Madrid against Mallorca on the 30th matchday. It was during that game that the club began to lose hope of competing for the league title.

Espanyol have had a more balanced record in their matches with Sanchez Martinez. He has refereed 13 of their La Liga games, with the club winning five, drawing three and losing five.

His most recent Espanyol match came on the 15th matchday of last season, when they beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at home.

Espanyol will take encouragement from their recent record with the official, having won each of their past three matches under his supervision.

Jorge Figueroa Vazquez has been appointed as the video assistant referee (VAR) for Saturday’s contest.

The match is scheduled to take place at the RCDE Stadium and will provide Real Madrid with their first opportunity to begin their league campaign, while Espanyol will look to build on their favourable recent results with Sanchez Martinez in charge.