The ex-Blackburn winger facing Mourinho and MadridImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Dolan played 38 games for Espanyol last season across La Liga and the Copa del ReyByElizabeth ConwaySpanish football reporterPublished11 minutes agoTyrhys Dolan, who played for Blackburn Rovers for five years before joining Espanyol last summer, says he is ready to take on one of the biggest tests of his career when Real Madrid visit the RCDE Stadium on Saturday (20:30 BST).The Manchester-born winger began his second season in Spain in impressive fashion, scoring in Espanyol’s 3-0 victory over Levante on the opening weekend.Now he faces a very different challenge, with Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid arriving in Barcelona for their first match of the season.Dolan, 24, insists Espanyol will not allow the occasion to change their approach.”These are the games you want to be playing in,” he stated. “They’re the games the supporters want to watch and all eyes will be on it.”Jose Mourinho has legendary status as a manager. He’s got that mentality that he wants to win every single game.”They’re not going to come out and treat it as an easy game against us. They’re going to bring their best.”Facing Bellingham and Alexander-ArnoldDolan also knows he could share the pitch with fellow English players Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but there will be little room for catching up before kick-off.”When it’s business, it’s business,” he stated.”It’s nice to be playing against top talents and other English players. It’s great to see. We’ll catch up after the game but all focus will be on getting three points.”But despite the glamour surrounding Real Madrid, Dolan believes the key is to avoid making the occasion bigger than it needs to be.”You don’t want to try and build a game up too much because then, when you get there, all the emotions can kind of eat you up,” he stated.Instead, he plans to stick to the routine that has served him successfully since moving to Spain.”You focus on yourself as best as you can and make sure that you’re prepared as well as you can,” he stated. “I like to stay within the same routine and headspace.”That approach reflects how much Dolan has changed since leaving the English Championship for Espanyol.Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Mbappe not incompatible – Mourinho
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