On Saturday, Real Madrid are aiming to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Lille – the first time that they have lost a competitive fixture in 37 matches. The reigning La Liga champions take on Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu in their final fixture before the second international break of the season.
As expected, changes will be made by Carlo Ancelotti for the match. According to Marca, Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo goes will be recalled to the starting line-up, with those being replaced set to be Endrick Felipe and Aurelien Tchouameni, who has come under increasing pressure in the last few weeks.
These changes would mean that Eduardo Camavinga retains his place in the XI, despite giving away the decisive penalty on Wednesday.
Villarreal are also set to make two changes from their victory at home to Las Palmas. Alex Baena was instrumental off the bench at La Ceramica, and he’d return to the line-up in place of the injured Denis Suarez. The second alteration would be Santi Comesana replacing Pape Gueye in the centre of midfield.
It’s 2nd versus 3rd in La Liga, and it should be a compelling fixture. Real Madrid need a response from their defeat to Lille, but they will be granted no leeway by Villarreal, whose confidence is high after a fantastic start to the season.
