Manolo González reshuffles more than half of Espanyol’s XI — Rcd Espanyol - Real Sociedad

Manolo González changed more than half of Espanyol’s starting XI for rcd espanyol - real sociedad, and Dmitrovic stayed on the bench as Fortuño got the nod in goal. The shake-up came on the last day of LaLiga EA Sports, with Espanyol naming a very different side for the visit of Real Sociedad.

Fortuño starts for Espanyol

Espanyol’s lineup kept only four players from the match against Osasuna: Cabrera, Carlos Romero, Urko and Edu Expósito. Around them, González rebuilt the side with Fortuño, Rubén Sánchez, Calero, Jofre, Antoniu, Ramón Terrats and Roberto all included in the starting XI.

That switch in goal was the clearest change. Dmitrovic moved to the bench, and Fortuño took over behind a back line that also featured Rubén Sánchez, Calero, Cabrera and Carlos Romero.

Urko faces Real Sociedad

Urko had an extra layer to his afternoon, lining up against his former teammates after joining Espanyol this summer following a six-month loan spell at the club. He started in midfield alongside Edu Expósito, with Jofre, Antoniu and Ramón Terrats also in the side.

Carlos Romero was in the XI as well, with the left back possibly playing his last match as an Espanyol player before a return to Villarreal after two consecutive seasons on loan in Catalonia. That left González’s selection carrying more than one farewell edge, even before the first whistle.

Real Sociedad keep five

Real Sociedad arrived with five players from Matarazzo’s previous lineup: Remiro, Zubeldia, Turrientes, Soler and Oskarsson. Their starting side also included Aramburu, Beitia, Sergio Gómez, Yangel Herrera, Sucic and Ochieng, with the visitors already at the stadium before kickoff.

Their end-of-season target gave the match a sharper edge. If they failed to score, they would match their worst league tally since the 2010-11 promotion season with 45 points, while the Trofeo Zarra race remained open with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres on 16 goals and Mikel Oyarzabal on 15.

Oyarzabal’s connection to the venue added one more thread. His first professional goal came at the RCDE Stadium, and he entered the match with 133 goals in 436 matches for Real Sociedad.

Matarazzo had set the tone before kickoff: “Estaría bien acabar el curso con una sonrisa por ganar y pensando que somos un buen equipo”.