Antonio Rudiger will replace Dean Huijsen in the Real Madrid starting lineup when they host Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Real Madrid will be desperate to return to winning ways and get their La Liga campaign back on track when they welcome Villarreal to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night. Jose Mourinho has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The Portuguese tactician had been sweating over the fitness of Ibrahima Konate and Kylian Mbappe after they sustained knee injuries during the international break. However, both players are fit and part of the matchday squad to take on Villarreal. The same cannot be said about Eder Militao (muscle), Raul Asencio (leg), Ferland Mendy (hip), and Rodrygo (knee), with the quartet still on the sidelines.
Additionally, Dean Huijsen is unavailable, as he serves a suspension after receiving a red card against Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Mourinho provided fitness updates on Federico Valverde, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, and Rodrygo.
The Real Madrid manager said, “Valverde is a doubt; Militao is not a doubt because he won’t be available. Seeing him train and how he’s doing makes me happy. We’ve never trained as five; we were always 20 with academy players. I joke every day with Militao and the therapists, telling him he’s going to play.”
“I knew he was good, but he’s even better. But he won’t be available tomorrow, nor in Rome, nor against Sevilla. He still needs a couple of weeks. Mendy is joining us on the field for the first time today, and Rodrygo is a bit further off. The issue with Valverde has persisted until today. Today, we’ll decide what tomorrow will look like.”
Thibaut Courtois is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Villarreal on Saturday. The backline will feature Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Antonio Rudiger, and Alvaro Carreras.
As for the midfield unit, Bernardo Silva will line up alongside Aurelien Tchouameni in the double pivot, with Jude Bellingham reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for the home side against Villarreal, with Vinicius Junior and Arda Guler being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Rudiger, Carreras; Tchouameni, Bernardo; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappe
