Jose Mourinho is back.
After falling short of the La Liga title, Real Madrid called up an old friend, with the colorful manager returning to the helm of Los Blancos.
It's not just Mourinho who has arrived to freshen things up around the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid has brought in a number of reinforcements this offseason, signing breakout Ivory Coast star Yan Diomande, midfielder Bernardo Silva, and overhauling the backline with the addition of World Cup winner Marc Cucarella, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konaté.
Now, the manager has to decide which new players will best gel with veterans like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, who signed a new deal this summer to extend his stay at the club.
Barcelona still very much looms as the team to beat,
but Real Madrid's title chase starts just across town from its rival's Camp Nou against an Espanyol team that already started the season off with a victory over Levante.
Here's who could start for Real Madrid in Mourinho's first match back managing the club:
Real Madrid projected lineup vs Espanyol
- Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
- Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella
- Central Midfielders: Federico Valvarde, Bernardo Silva
- Wingers and attacking midfielder: Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr.
- Forward: Kylian Mbappe
When is Real Madrid vs Espanyol?
- When: Saturday, Aug. 22
- Where: RCDE Stadium (Barcelona, Spain)
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Channel/streaming: ABC (Watch LIVE on Fubo), ESPN Deportes
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Real Madrid projected lineup vs Espanyol: How will Jose Mourinho set up Los Blancos?
