The 2026-27 La Liga season gets underway for Real Madrid on Saturday afternoon as José Mourinho begins his second stint in charge with a trip to RCDE Stadium to face Espanyol. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, with Madrid playing its first competitive match of the new campaign after its originally scheduled opener against Real Sociedad was postponed.
There has been plenty of change in Madrid since last season ended without a trophy. Real finished second in La Liga behind Barcelona and saw its Champions League run end in the quarterfinals before turning to Mourinho, who previously managed the club from 2010-13. The roster has also been reshaped with Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konaté, Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Espí and Yan Diomandé among the summer arrivals.
Now comes the first chance to see what that overhaul looks like when the games count. Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior remain at the center of Madrid’s attack, but they’ll be surrounded by a much different supporting cast as Mourinho begins putting his stamp on the squad. Saturday’s trip to Barcelona offers the first real look at how quickly all of those new pieces can come together.
Espanyol, meanwhile, already has 90 minutes of league action behind it and couldn’t have asked for a much better start. Manolo González‘s side opened the season with a 3-0 win over Levante at home last Sunday, with Roberto Fernández scoring twice in the first half before Tyrhys Dolan put the game away with a third goal in the 80th minute.
The result offered an encouraging first look at a club trying to build on last year’s 11th-place La Liga finish. Espanyol finished the 2025-26 campaign with 46 points and has added several new pieces this summer, including Quilindschy Hartman, Gabriel Moscardo and Unai Núñez.
Saturday brings a much tougher early test, but Espanyol at least enters it with a competitive match under its belt while Madrid prepares to make its season debut.
Espanyol vs. Real Madrid Odds Today
Real Madrid is a heavy road favorite on the 3-way moneyline at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook:
- Espanyol (+700)
- Draw (+375)
- Real Madrid (-260)
Betting Splits at Hard Rock Bet
Early betting action at Hard Rock Bet has been almost entirely concentrated on Real Madrid:
- Real Madrid has pulled in 98.3% of all 3-way moneyline tickets while accounting for 99.4% of the total handle.
- Espanyol has received just 1% of the bets, with those wagers representing only 0.1% of the money in the market.
- The draw has garnered 0.8% of all tickets and 0.5% of the handle.
Popular Player Props
Mbappé and Vinicius Junior account for each of the five most-bet player props ahead of Saturday’s matchup:
- Kylian Mbappé – Over 1.5 Shots on Target
- Kylian Mbappé – Anytime Goalscorer
- Vinicius Junior – Over 0.5 Shots on Target
- Kylian Mbappé – To Score or Assist
- Vinicius Junior – Over 1.5 Shots on Target
Espanyol vs. Real Madrid Match Info
- 📍 Location: RCDE Stadium, Barcelona, Spain
- 📅 Date: Saturday, August 22
- ⏰ Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- 📺 Where to Watch: ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes
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