Tyrhys Dolan says he is ready as Real Madrid visit RCDE Stadium on Saturday

Tyrhys Dolan, the Manchester-born winger who spent five years with Blackburn Rovers before joining Espanyol last summer, says he is ready to take on Real Madrid when Jose Mourinho's side visit the RCDE Stadium on Saturday (20:30 BST). Dolan, 24, began his second season by scoring in Espanyol's 3-0 opening-weekend victory over Levante.

Dolan played 38 games for Espanyol last season across La Liga and the Copa del Rey and had made more than 30 appearances as he settled into life in Spain. The match with Real Madrid is Mourinho's team's first game of the season in Barcelona, a considerably different challenge to facing Levante.

"These are the games you want to be playing in," he said. "They're the games the supporters want to watch and all eyes will be on it." He also spoke of Mourinho's stature: "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."

Dolan acknowledged he could line up against fellow English players Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold but said focus would remain on the match rather than socialising. "When it's business, it's business," he said. "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."

He warned against over-hyping the occasion and described his pre-match routine. "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 said. "You focus on yourself as best as you can and make sure that you're prepared as well as you can," he added. "I like to stay within the same routine and headspace."

Dolan said last season was as much a personal adjustment as a professional one, with moving away from family and friends, adapting to a new culture and learning a new language forcing him to be more self-reliant. "It's definitely matured me so much, off the pitch and on it too," he said. On the field he believes the standard of La Liga has accelerated his development: he says his decision-making has improved significantly, while his crossing and ability to provide different types of assists have also progressed. "I've learned and added so many tools to my trade since making the move to Espanyol," he said.

Having made more than 30 appearances last season, Dolan said expectations on him have increased and he feels a greater responsibility within the squad. "I feel much more responsibility within the team this year," he said. "I feel like I am one of the players who is going to get it done." He added that settling in has given him stability: "But now I know exactly what I'm doing heading into this season. I've got my home here, I've got my solid fanbase, I've got team-mates that are now friends for me. It's not just strangers that you're playing with at the start."

Dolan said his goal against Levante helped give the squad belief but stressed the need for concentration against Real Madrid. "We can't afford to make as many mistakes because Real Madrid will capitalise on it," he said. He also outlined Espanyol's ambitions: "I think we can really be in those top-six positions," Dolan said. "We want to aim as high as we can." On a personal note he confirmed many family and friends will attend: "I'm trying to keep the numbers to a respectable amount and not taking too many tickets off of the [other] players," he said. "But all my family and friends are buzzing. "We're really looking forward to it and we're ready for the challenge."

Real Madrid's visit to the RCDE Stadium is scheduled for Saturday at 20:30 BST, the next confirmed fixture for Espanyol.