Six Real Madrid Stars to Miss La Liga Clash Against Espanyol

Real Madrid have officially announced their squad for the La Liga clash against Espanyol this Saturday, August 22, with kick-off scheduled for 9:30 p.m.

For the second matchday of the Spanish league — but Real Madrid’s first La Liga fixture of the 2026/27 season — José Mourinho’s men will travel to Barcelona to take on Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium. The match is set to begin at 9:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Disney+ and DAZN in France.

Six Real Madrid Stars to Miss La Liga Clash Against Espanyol

The Portuguese coach will have to deal with several important absences for this opening league encounter. A number of players remain unavailable because of injuries, including several long-term absentees who are still going through their respective recovery programs.

Rodrygo is one of the biggest names missing from the squad. The Brazilian forward is continuing his rehabilitation and is not expected to return to competitive action until 2027. Éder Militão is also unavailable, with the Brazilian centre-back currently targeting a return in October. Ferland Mendy, meanwhile, remains sidelined and is not expected back before the end of the year.

Endrick will also miss the trip to Espanyol after suffering from muscular overload. The young Brazilian striker will not be risked by Mourinho and his staff at this stage of the season.

Aurélien Tchouaméni is another notable absentee. The French midfielder has returned to training in recent days, but he is still behind the rest of the group after reporting back this summer with a minor physical problem. Real Madrid have therefore decided not to include him in the squad.

Mourinho has responded to the numerous absences by calling up three young players for the trip: Mario Rivas, Cestero and Alexis Ciria. They will have an opportunity to be part of the first-team group as Real Madrid begin their La Liga campaign.

📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados!
🆚 @RCDEspanyol pic.twitter.com/yxwFQAX6De
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 21, 2026

Despite the unavailable players, Mourinho still has plenty of quality at his disposal. Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin lead the goalkeeping department, while the defensive options include Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Marc Cucurella, Álvaro Carreras, Antonio Rüdiger and Denzel Dumfries.

In midfield, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva are all included. Up front, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior headline the attacking options alongside Carlos Espí, Brahim Díaz and Yan Diomandé.