Some three months after the end of the 2025/26 season, La Liga is back, and Real Madrid wants vengeance. After dropping two consecutive La Liga titles to arch-rivals Barcelona, Los Blancos re-upped with Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Yan Diomandé, and Bernardo Silva this summer, hoping to make up the eight-point deficit on Barça.
Real Madrid will begin its 2026/27 campaign on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. ET (9:30 p.m. local) clash against Espanyol on the road.
Los Blancos are -215 favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook to start their season off with three points, and Los Periquitos are +600. There are +360 odds that the teams will share the points.
Below, I’ll break down this much-anticipated season opener and provide my favorite bet.
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol Best Bet:
Kylian Mbappé to Score and Real Madrid to Win (-105): Mbappé found the back of the net in the teams’ first matchup last season, and he’s coming off of Golden Boot titles in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup. Los Periquitos allowed the second-most shots on target per 90 minutes last season, a disaster against a finisher as clinical as Mbappé.
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol prediction, pick
By Real Madrid standards, 2025/26 was a massive disappointment, as it went trophyless and finished eight points behind the Blaugrana atop the league table, including a 2-0 defeat late in the season to effectively seal its fate. Additionally, Xabi Alonso only lasted seven months in charge, and Álvaro Arbeloa couldn’t turn it around. Los Blancos made massive changes in the offseason, completely revamping their defense, signing Diomandé to shore up the right wing position, and bringing back legendary manager José Mourinho. Espanyol, meanwhile, finished a solid 11th, its best finish in the top flight since 2018/19. Los Periquitos made mostly quiet business during the transfer window, but adding Unai Núñez from Celta Vigo should be an upgrade, as should Álex Calatrava, who was one of the best players in the Segunda Division last season.
The names on Madrid’s roster require no introduction. Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup, Vinicius Júnior had 22 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, and Jude Bellingham stole the show with timely goals at the World Cup. Los Blancos’ new additions are just as impressive; Cucurella was a linchpin in Spain’s World Cup triumph, and Diomandé became the most valuable African player of all time after his own exploits at the tournament. Last season, Madrid scored 77 goals and managed 6.66 shots on target per 90 minutes, both of which were the second-most in La Liga, and there’s no reason to expect regression in 2026/27. Additionally, Los Blancos gave up the fewest goals, fewest shots on target, and fewest goals per shot, and after bringing in two of the world’s best fullbacks in Cucurella and Dumfries and an everyday Premier League starter at center-back in Ibrahima Konaté, they should be set to improve. Between the sticks, Thibaut Courtois is still one of the world’s best, as he demonstrated during the World Cup. Madrid wasn’t great at playing the offsides trap, and it couldn’t quite contain Barcelona’s wings when they played, but that’s a high bar that Espanyol doesn’t meet.
Los Periquitos had a pretty egalitarian attacking approach in 2025/26, with Kiké, Roberto Fernández, Pere Milla, and Carlos Romero each contributing at least six goals, and Fernández is off to a hot start so far this season, netting twice in the season-opening win over Levante last Sunday. Kiké and Milla are also still on the roster, so although Romero made the move to Villarreal, the core of the team that attempted the ninth-most shots on target per 90 minutes last season is still intact. Espanyol didn’t finish very effectively, ranking sixth-to-last in goals despite all of its shots, but Fernández is still young, and Javier Hernández and Calatrava both finished well in the second tier last season. Los Periquitos were somewhat more gettable defensively last season, allowing the second-most shots on target per 90 minutes and committing the fifth-most fouls, but goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović proved to be a brick wall, keeping 10 clean sheets and ranking sixth among qualified shot-stoppers in save percentage. Espanyol also ranked in the top half of the league in interceptions.
It won’t be easy, but Los Blancos should be able to start the season off with a win. Los Periquitos were heavily reliant on crosses last season, and Real Madrid allowed the third-fewest in the league before adding Cucurella and Dumfries, who can terrorize the wings in either their defensive or attacking third. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Espanyol managed to manufacture a decent chance after an interception (Los Blancos were intercepted the second-most times last season, in part because of their dominance of possession), but Courtois should be able to keep them out. I don’t have quite the same faith in Dmitrović, as strong as he was last season; Mbappé scored on him once in 2025/26 and should do so again now that he has both Vinicius and Diomandé to set him up.
Best Bet: Kylian Mbappé to Score and Real Madrid to Win (-105)