Mourinho Names His First Official Line-up
Listen to the story
Coach Mourinho has announced his first official starting line-up, and the team includes several surprises for fans and experts.
The announcement comes ahead of a major match between Espanyol and Real Madrid in the opening round of La Liga, Spain's top football division, for the 2026-2027 season.
Many football fans are now searching for information about which TV channels will broadcast the game. People also want to know how to stream the match online.
Before the game, attention has also turned to Real Madrid's history in league openers. Reports have looked at the club's best goal scorers in previous opening matches of the season.
This mix of news shows how much interest surrounds the start of a new football season. Fans are focused on Mourinho's team choices, the match broadcast, and Real Madrid's scoring history.
As the new season kicks off, all eyes will be on how Mourinho's surprising line-up performs against Real Madrid, a team with a strong record in league openers.
Vocabulary10 words
- starting line-up
- the players chosen to begin a game
- division
- a group or level of teams in a sport
- broadcast
- to show something on TV or online
- goal scorers
- players who score the most goals
- kicks off
- starts, begins
- opener
- the first match of a season
- surprises
- things that are unexpected
- record
- the history of results a team has had
- stream
- to watch video content live on the internet
- coach
- the person in charge of training a team
Quiz
Answer key
1. His first official starting line-up 2. Espanyol vs Real Madrid in La Liga's opening round 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Coach Mourinho has announced his first official _____, and the team includes several _____ for fans and experts.
The announcement comes ahead of a major match between Espanyol and Real Madrid in the opening round of La Liga, Spain's top football _____, for the 2026-2027 season.
Many football fans are now searching for information about which TV channels will _____ the game. People also want to know how to _____ the match online.
Before the game, attention has also turned to Real Madrid's history in league openers. Reports have looked at the club's best _____ in previous opening matches of the season.
As the new season _____, all eyes will be on how Mourinho's surprising line-up performs against Real Madrid, a team with a strong _____ in league openers.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think fans are excited to see a coach's first official line-up?
- Why is it important for fans to know which channels will broadcast a match?
- Do you think a team's past goal-scoring record matters for a new season? Why or why not?
- What do you think makes the opening match of a football season special?