Mourinho's Madrid Faces Resilient Espanyol

Real Madrid, managed by Jose Mourinho, is set to play Espanyol at the RCD stadium this Saturday as the new LaLiga season commences. Espanyol, led by Manolo Gonzalez for the past four seasons, demonstrated their established routines with a decisive 3-0 victory over Levante in their recent match. This consistency under the same coach is a key factor for the Catalan club.

Espanyol, promoted back to LaLiga, has shown steady progress, finishing 14th and then 11th in the last two seasons. Their tactical approach involves a balanced defensive posture, not overly aggressive but not a deep block either. Last season, they ranked fourth in creating big chances and 17th in touches within the opposition area, yet still managed a respectable 10th for shots on target.

A notable strength for Espanyol last season was their proficiency in scoring from set-pieces, accumulating 14 goals from such situations. However, with the departure of Kike Garcia, maintaining this scoring trend might prove challenging. Carlos Romero also leaves after a strong contribution from left-back.

Despite these departures, Pere Milla and Roberto Fernandez remain key players. Fernandez, in particular, is identified as Real Madrid's primary threat. He netted seven league goals last season and has already scored twice in the opening game of the current season, showing a consistent presence and pressing ability.