Mourinho settles his doubts ahead of Barcelona debut

Real Madrid face their first official match of the season against Espanyol in Barcelona this Saturday, August 22 (21:30 CET), and Mourinho must finalize the details of his starting lineup in his second spell as the Whites' head coach.

Creative midfielder without Rodri

The main uncertainty revolves around the creative midfielder position. After Rodri rejected a move to Madrid in favor of Barcelona, the club made it clear to Mourinho that no arrivals would happen without departures. The Portuguese manager tested various options during preseason, and all signs point to Bernardo Silva being the chosen one for that creative midfield role. The Portuguese midfielder has operated in that position throughout the friendly matches and appears to be the favorite for the league debut.

Arda and Bellingham contend for number 10

Another key decision concerns the attacking midfielder slot. The contenders are Arda Güler and Bellingham. The Turkish talent has impressed in preseason and made the most of his opportunities following Bellingham's late return to training, positioning Arda Güler as the likely starter for Saturday.

In defense, Dumfries appears to have won favor over Trent in friendlies and could start on the right flank, according to Mundo Deportivo.