Manolo González called up 23 players for Espanyol’s final LaLiga fixture, the rcd espanyol - real sociedad match scheduled for Saturday, 21 May 2026 at 21:00 at the RCDE Stadium, the club announced on Thursday.
Mundo Deportivo reported that González made seven changes from the side that drew in Pamplona and that those alterations include a swap in goal: Àngel Fortuño was named to start, replacing Marko Dmitrovic, who drops to the bench. The same report listed the starting XI as Fortuño; Rubén Sánchez, Calero, Cabrera and Carlos Romero across the back; Urko and Edu Expósito in midfield; and Jofre, Ramon Terrats, Antoniu Roca and Roberto Fernández in more advanced roles. Mundo Deportivo said Dmitrovic, Pol Tristán, Pere Milla, José Salinas, Miguel Rubio, Pickel, Kike García, Omar El Hilali, Dolan, Londoño, Lluc Castell and Riedel were named among the substitutes.
The seven changes, Mundo Deportivo added, were completed by the inclusion of Rubén Sánchez, Fernando Calero, Jofre Carreras, Ramon Terrats, Antoniu Roca and Roberto Fernández—players who had been used from the bench in the previous match against Osasuna—alongside Fortuño in goal.
Those selection notes matter because this is the final round of LaLiga EA Sports and Espanyol still carry a remote but real chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference League. Real Sociedad arrive having secured 45 points and a place in European competition by virtue of winning the Copa del Rey Mapfre, a detail reported by Mundo Deportivo that underlines what the visitors have already achieved this season.
The immediate weight of González’s call-up is practical: 23 names, a last-minute re-shuffle and a goalkeeper change set up a clear plan for the evening. Naming Fortuño ahead of Dmitrovic signals a trust in rotation or form that goes beyond simple injury cover; restoring six players who were substitutes in Pamplona suggests González is looking for different combinations rather than sticking with the XI that finished the previous match.
That plan contains friction. Espanyol are asking a retooled side to get the result they need in a single game, and the goalkeeper switch raises the most visible question: will a fresh face between the posts steady a defence that must deliver in a pressure fixture, or will the disruption of change cost the team the cohesion it needs? Mundo Deportivo’s account makes clear the choices are intentional, but it does not answer whether they will pay off on the pitch at 21:00.
The larger context is compact: Real Sociedad have already locked European football and sit on 45 points; Espanyol’s fate is still mathematically alive. For González, the selection is a statement that depth must now prove itself. If the reshuffled lineup wins, the manager will be praised for his timing and trust in squad players; if Espanyol fail to take points, those same choices will be replayed and scrutinised as avoidable risks in a season that will end on Saturday night.
Whatever happens at the RCDE Stadium, González’s eleven and the bench he named will be judged not by the logic of a press release but by the scoreboard. For a coach who made seven changes and handed Fortuño the gloves, the result will be the single, decisive verdict on whether that gamble kept Espanyol’s Conference hopes alive or closed the curtain on them.
