Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup when they host Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Real Madrid will be eager to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Rayo Vallecano to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night. Jose Mourinho has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Andriy Lunin is back in the matchday squad after missing the game against Inter Milan due to an illness. Additionally, Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga are available after serving a suspension in the UEFA Champions League.
However, Eder Militao (thigh), Ferland Mendy (ligament), Endrick (muscle), and Rodrygo (ACL) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Mourinho discussed the return of the formerly suspended trio and answered questions about Yan Diomande’s involvement.
The Real Madrid manager said, “I don’t want to say who will play and who won’t. If I tell you that Diomande is playing, you know he’s playing, and if I say he isn’t, you also know. I’m not thinking about all three matches right now; I’m thinking about tomorrow’s game. It’s a match we have to win and approach strongly.”
“Obviously, there is room for fresh energy, legs with lots of gas. We worked very hard in Tuesday’s game. At this moment, we have a squad with many options. If we look at the last match, we recovered Camavinga, Bernardo, and Arda Guler.”
“It’s a group with enough strength to give opportunities to some fresh legs and give some others a bit of rest, which is also important. It’s three games in nine days, but the focus is on how we can win the next game. The important thing is that two or three who didn’t play in the last match can bring a bit more energy to the team.”
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 Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. The backline will feature Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva should form the double pivot in the middle of the pitch, with Jude Bellingham reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for the home side, with Arda Guler and Vinicius Junior being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Bernardo Silva; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappe