José Mourinho has declared that nothing short of a victory will do as Real Madrid prepare to face Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium in their opening La Liga fixture of the campaign.

Speaking to the club's official website, Mourinho was unequivocal about the mission: "Tomorrow when we travel, we'll do so with the conviction that we'll come back with the three points."

Adrenaline, not pressure

When asked whether the weight of the occasion was bearing down on him, the Portuguese manager pushed back firmly. "I wouldn't call it pressure; I'd call it adrenaline. It's a positive thing. The day I don't feel it, something's not right," he said.

Mourinho added that his confidence stems from the quality of work his squad has put in, as well as the ambition and mindset the players have shown him in training. "I have a lot of confidence in the work we've done — a lot of confidence in the players' ambition, their mindset, and the passion they show me," he said.

Espanyol's early advantage

Mourinho acknowledged that Espanyol arrive into the fixture with momentum, having opened their campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win that puts them three points ahead of Real Madrid in the early standings.

He also cautioned his squad against complacency, stressing that every club in La Liga treats a fixture against Real Madrid as an occasion of enormous importance. Failing to match that intensity from the first minute, he warned, would bring immediate problems.

Injury and squad updates

Mourinho confirmed that Endrick will not travel due to a minor muscle injury, while Aurélien Tchouaméni is set to ease back into action rather than start, as the midfielder works his way back to full match sharpness.

Trophies are the standard

On the broader picture for the season, Mourinho left no room for ambiguity. With Real Madrid competing across four competitions, he made clear that ending the season without silverware would not be considered a success — regardless of any other improvements made along the way.

"We can improve a lot on many levels, build up the structure, and there's a lot that needs to change, but results are what count. Finishing without any trophies at Real Madrid is not a successful season," he said.