Denzel Dumfries, Real Madrid player
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Real Madrid are up for their biggest domestic challenge yet on Sunday as they take on Atletico Madrid away from home.
Los Blancos have struggled on the road this season, and heading into a venue where they have struggled in recent years does not make the challenge any easier.
Jose Mourinho and Co., however, will be keen on making the most of the opportunity to announce their names as strong contenders on all fronts, for a convincing win in the derby will be a massive statement.
Dumfries, Bellingham in, Diomande out
Ahead of the clash, Jose Mourinho has dropped his confirmed XI and there are several changes from the lineup that started against Elche.
Thibaut Courtois retains his place in goal while the backline is largely unchanged with Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen all starting.
The big change, however, is that Trent Alexander-Arnold has been benched and Denzel Dumfries has been handed the start.
In midfield the double pivot of Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni start once more and there are big changes in attack.
Bellingham, who was rested in the previous game, returns as the attacking midfielder while Yan Diomande, who started on the right, is benched. Instead, Arda Guler has earned the start on the right.
Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe complete the lineup on the night, making it Real Madrid’s Gala XI with all the top performers and big names starting.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
🆚 @Atleti
👉 @UnicajaBanco pic.twitter.com/qKGGW4A9M7
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 20, 2026
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