La Liga: Espi in spotlight as Mourinho returns to Bernabeu for Madrid-Sociedad clash

Madrid, Aug 25 (IANS) Jose Mourinho will make his return to the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid coach on Thursday when his side hosts Real Sociedad in a delayed La Liga opening-round fixture, with young striker Carlos Espi set to attract much of the attention.

Mourinho’s return to the famous Madrid stadium adds an extra layer of interest to the fixture. Still, Espi’s impressive start to life at the club has quickly made him one of the players supporters are eager to watch.

The young forward scored during pre-season before finding the decisive goal in Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Espanyol. His performance has helped him win over the home fans and raised expectations ahead of his first appearance at the Bernabeu in the new campaign, reports Xinhua.

Espi admitted that the experience of scoring the winner against Espanyol had been difficult to process.

“I’ve slept very little; when I scored the goal, everyone was there in the corner. It was incredible that they were all with me and so happy for me,” Espi said during his official presentation.

The striker is now looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere inside the Bernabéu.

“The truth is these have been incredible days, but I’m already thinking about Wednesday and experiencing the atmosphere at the Bernabéu, which is amazing, and I can’t wait to step onto the pitch,” he added.

Real Madrid will also have the opportunity to give home debuts to Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Yan Diomande and Denzel Dumfries, adding further interest to Mourinho’s first league outing at the Bernabéu this season.

Real Sociedad, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back after opening its campaign with a 1-0 defeat away to Real Betis.

Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo will have selection problems to contend with, with wingers Ander Barrenetxea and Goncalo Guedes, along with midfielder Jon Gorrotxategi, ruled out through injury. There is also uncertainty over the involvement of Spain striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who could either start the game or begin on the bench.

–IANS

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