Real Madrid open their new La Liga campaign away at Espanyol tomorrow, Saturday evening, at the RCDE Stadium. It marks the first official outing for Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho since his return to the helm of the Royal Club.
Spanish newspaper "Marca" point out that Real Madrid head into the match with a lengthy list of absentees. Espanyol, by contrast, arrive brimming with confidence after thumping Levante 3-0 on the opening weekend.
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The hosts will be without Cabrera, who is serving out his suspension, alongside the injured Javi Puado and Kike Garcia.
Real Madrid's problems run deeper. Mendy, Asensio, Militao, Tchouameni, Thiago Pitarch, Rodrygo and Endrick are all sidelined through physical issues, forcing Mourinho to promote three players from the club's academy: Mario Rivas, Cestero and Alexis Ceria.
According to "Marca", Los Merengues are expected to line up as follows:
Courtois, Arnold, Konate, Huijsen, Carreras, Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, Vinicius, Kylian Mbappe.
Madrid want their La Liga crown back after handing it to rivals Barcelona in each of the past two seasons. Espanyol, meanwhile, hope to build on their fast start and take something off one of the title favourites.
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