Barcelona return as Real Madrid open season away to Espanyol

Spain's leading clubs are back in league action this weekend, with Real Madrid opening their season on Saturday evening and Barcelona following on Sunday as the defending champions resume their title defence.

Real Madrid begin under Jose Mourinho

Real Madrid's first league match of the season comes away to Espanyol. The fixture also marks the start of another campaign under Jose Mourinho, with the Portuguese coach taking charge of the club for a second time.

That detail is likely to draw significant attention as Madrid begin their domestic schedule. Even so, the immediate focus is on how they handle a difficult away assignment in their opening outing.

Barcelona return as title holders

Barcelona enter the new round of fixtures as the reigning champions. Their first league game of the campaign is set for Sunday, when they meet Elche.

The Catalan club's return has its own talking points, including the presence of Wojciech Szczesny as the reserve goalkeeper. That subplot adds another layer of interest to Barcelona's opening appearance as they look to begin their defence of the title on solid footing.

Weekend spotlight on Spain's biggest names

With Madrid playing first and Barcelona following a day later, the weekend offers an early look at the two clubs expected to dominate attention in the league. Madrid travel to Espanyol with Mourinho back in charge, while Barcelona host their own expectations as champions against Elche.

At this stage, the schedule itself is enough to frame the conversation: Real Madrid start away from home on Saturday evening, and Barcelona return on Sunday with Szczesny named as backup goalkeeper. Those are the key facts as the new league campaign gathers momentum.