Overview
- The match is scheduled for Saturday 22 August 2026 at 21:30 CEST at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà-El Prat and counts as LaLiga Jornada 2 while serving as Real Madrid's league opener.
- Broadcasters vary by territory with DAZN/Movistar+ carrying the game in Spain, DIRECTV/DSports and DGO across much of Latin America, Sky Sports in Mexico, and ESPN/ABC (plus ESPN platforms) in the United States.
- José Mourinho will manage his first LaLiga match back at Real Madrid after a major summer overhaul that brought signings such as Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konaté and Yan Diomandé.
- Espanyol arrive on confidence from a 3-0 opening win over Levante while bookmakers list Real Madrid as clear pre-match favorites, with odds published by operators including Bet365 and Betano.
- The match is a first test of how quickly Mourinho can integrate new arrivals and work around late-returning internationals, and viewers should check local listings because rights and start-time conversions differ by market.