Real Madrid will face Espanyol this Saturday at the RCDE Stadium (9:30 p.m.; Orange TV and DAZN), as José Mourinho’s squad continues its preparations for the start of the new La Liga season.
Real Madrid completed their second training session of the week at Ciudad Real Madrid, with the focus firmly on Saturday’s league opener against Espanyol. After several weeks of demanding pre-season work, the Spanish giants are now entering the final phase of their preparations ahead of their first official domestic challenge of the campaign.
The players began Wednesday’s session with a series of exercises inside the gym. The coaching staff continued to place particular emphasis on physical conditioning, ensuring that the squad reaches the opening match of La Liga in the best possible shape.
After completing the indoor work, the players moved onto the training pitches at Ciudad Real Madrid, where José Mourinho and his staff introduced a tactical phase. The squad worked on several aspects of the team’s organisation, with exercises focused on positioning, pressing and marking.
These tactical drills are expected to play an important role in Mourinho’s preparations for the trip to Barcelona. Real Madrid will face an Espanyol side determined to make life difficult for the visitors in front of their home supporters at the RCDE Stadium.
The intensity of the session increased as training progressed. The Madrid players carried out pressing exercises designed to improve coordination when attempting to recover possession, while the marking drills focused on defensive concentration and maintaining the correct distances between the different lines.
To conclude the session, the squad played a number of small-sided and full-pitch matches in different formats. These exercises allowed Mourinho to test different combinations and tactical situations while maintaining a competitive level among his players.
With the opening league match approaching, competition for places in the starting XI remains strong. Every training session is therefore an important opportunity for the players to convince Mourinho and earn a place in the team against Espanyol.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 19, 2026
However, several members of the squad remain unavailable as they continue their respective recovery programmes. Endrick, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, Thiago, Rodrygo and Raúl Asencio all continued working separately as part of their rehabilitation processes.
Their situations will continue to be monitored by Real Madrid’s medical and fitness staff, with the club unwilling to take unnecessary risks at the beginning of a long and demanding season.
Real Madrid will continue training over the coming days before travelling to Barcelona for Saturday’s encounter. Mourinho is expected to use the remaining sessions to fine-tune his tactical plan and determine the starting eleven that will take the field at the RCDE Stadium.
After an intense pre-season, the competitive action is finally about to begin. Real Madrid’s first La Liga test will come against Espanyol on Saturday at 9:30 p.m., with the match available on Orange TV and DAZN.
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