Real Madrid face early test of title ambitions at Espanyol

Real Madrid begin their 2026-27 La Liga campaign away to Espanyol on Saturday, 22 August, with Jose Mourinho’s side facing a confident Catalan team at the RCDE Stadium.

The match, which kicks off at 19:30 GMT in Cornella de Llobregat, is one of the most anticipated fixtures of the opening weekend. It will be Real Madrid’s first competitive match of the season after an unbeaten pre-season and a major overhaul of their squad during the summer.

Espanyol have already made a winning start to their league campaign, beating Levante 3-0 in their opening fixture. Roberto Fernandez scored twice in that victory, giving the Catalan club an early boost after a disappointing end to last season.

They will now look to produce another strong performance against a Real Madrid side expected to challenge for the title. Madrid have gone two seasons without winning the national championship and have renewed their squad extensively during the summer as they begin a new period under Mourinho.

Real Madrid completed their preparations without defeat, including a 3-0 victory over Schalke. Their form, combined with their substantial historical advantage in this fixture, means they will arrive as clear favourites.

Across 201 meetings in all competitions, Real Madrid have won 119 times, compared with 46 victories for Espanyol. The other 36 matches ended in draws. Madrid also won both meetings between the clubs last season, recording identical 2-0 victories.

The recent record is similarly one-sided. Real Madrid have won eight of the past 10 encounters, with Espanyol claiming the other two.

The pre-match probabilities give Real Madrid a 70% chance of winning. A draw is rated at 21%, while Espanyol are given a 9% chance of securing victory.

Africafoot’s prediction is a 3-1 win for Real Madrid.

The fixture will be broadcast by beIN Sports in France, Movistar LaLiga and DAZN in Spain, Premier Sports in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and ESPN+ in the United States. In Canada, coverage will be available on TSN+ and TSN channels.

DAZN will show the match in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal, while beIN Sports is the broadcaster in Australia and in North Africa and the Middle East. Across sub-Saharan Africa, the listed broadcasters are SuperSport, Canal+, StarTimes and New World TV. ESPN, DirecTV Sports and Star+ will carry the game in Latin America.

The match is also listed for coverage on 1xbet, which gives Espanyol odds of 7.50 to win, 4.70 for a draw and 1.43 for a Real Madrid victory. The fixture is described as Espanyol’s second matchday meeting of the Spanish championship against Real Madrid.