Real Madrid forward Carlos Espi may make his first start of the season in either of their next two games against Racing Santander or AEK Athens, according to a report by Madrid Universal on Tuesday 27th October 2026.

Manager Jose Mourinho may look to change his starting XI after their 2-1 win over Barcelona in El Clasico. The Portuguese coach could look to rest some of his players in the forthcoming fixtures and 21-year-old Espi could be one of those used.

The Spaniard joined Real from Levante in the summer for €25 million and has started brightly. He has scored three competitive goals but they have all come from the bench.

His last minute goals against Espanyol and Elche helped Real Madrid earn crucial points in La Liga and his goal against AS Roma helped them mount a big comeback. This has made the case for him to be used more.

However the attacker has yet to start a competitive game for the Spanish giants due to competition in attack, especially with Kylian Mbappe taking up a starting spot.

Real Madrid play Racing Santander at home on November 1st and then head to Greece to face AEK Athens in the Champions League on November 4th. This could be the perfect opportunity for Mourinho to give Espi a run from the first whistle.

Vinicius Jr will also miss the Racing Santander game due to suspension which could influence the decision.

He could be used as the central striker with Mbappe moving out wide. This would give Real Madrid more power in the box with Espi providing a physical threat.

However, Mourinho will also have to consider using Endrick. With Espi performing so well off the bench there is now high expectations for him. Starting a game will show if he can keep his goal threat going.

While Real Madrid have not confirmed, this could be an important opportunity for the young forward to get established in the Santiago Bernabeu.