Dani Carvajal and Aurelien Tchouameni will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup when they take on Atletico Madrid at Estadio Metropolitano on Saturday.
Real Madrid will aim to continue a flawless start to the 2025/26 season when they lock horns with Atletico Madrid at Estadio Metropolitano on Saturday afternoon. Xabi Alonso has no new injury concerns to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy, and Antonio Rudiger remain in the treatment room, with the trio unavailable for the foreseeable future. Apart from the three defenders, Alonso has a full-strength travelling squad to take on Atletico Madrid this weekend.
Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Alonso discussed the possible involvement of Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga on Saturday. The Spanish tactician also spoke about Bellingham’s role in his team.
The Real Madrid manager said, “I said they could play in Levante and tomorrow too. He’s [Jude] an attacking midfielder. He can be involved in the build-up and finishing. He has that great ability to cover a lot of ground.”
“We have to be efficient to get the ball to him as much as possible, and for him to throw things off balance. He’s been training longer and longer, and he’s getting more and more game time. Some players are more positional or static, but Jude is not like that.”
Alonso also heaped praise on Franco Mastantuono after his solid start to life as a Real Madrid player. The Real Madrid boss said, “He has a lot of positive qualities. For the age he is and for having arrived a month and a little while ago in a new country and a new league and at a big club, he has adapted very well.”
“I love the quality and the personality he has, of course, but even more how competitive he is. He has a lot of energy. Then you have to guide him, and he has to pick up concepts, but that competitive gene is fundamental in our team. I’m very happy they brought him in, and we’re going to enjoy him for a long time. We have everyone ready; everyone has recovered well after the game in Valencia. But I can’t give any clues.”
Thibaut Courtois is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. The backline will feature Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen, and Alvaro Carreras.
As for the midfield unit, Aurelien Tchouameni will replace Dani Carvajal as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park, with Arda Guler taking up the creative charge. Finally, Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for the away side against Atletico Madrid, with Vinicius Junior and Franco Mastantuono completing the numbers in the offensive third.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Predicted XI
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler; Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior