After dropping points to Atlético Madrid in La Liga and Lille in the Champions League, Real Madrid aims to get back to winning ways against Villarreal.
Just when Carlo Ancelotti's men were gaining momentum across all competitions, Los Blancos delivered two poor performances in the last week. Real Madrid conceded a 95th minute equalizer to Atlético Madrid on Sept. 29, failing to capitalize on Barcelona's earlier loss to Osasuna. Then, the defending European champions suffered a 1–0 defeat to Lille, their first loss in 258 days.
Despite Eduardo Camavinga and Kylian Mbappé returning from injury in the Champions League fixture, Real Madrid could not even leave France with a point. Now, the club faces Villarreal, who currently sits in third place in La Liga.
Ancelotti must make several decisions about his lineup for Saturday's clash, especially in the midfield. The manager opted to play a 4-4-2 against Lille, but the team looked out of sorts, slow and uncreative. Camavinga also conceded the penalty that sent Lille home with all three points.
With Mbappé poised to rejoin the starting XI, here's what Real Madrid's lineup could look like against Villarreal.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Villarreal (4-3-3)
GK: Andriy Lunin—The Ukrainian will make his first La Liga appearance this season as Thibaut Courtois recovers from injury.
RB: Dani Carvajal—The right-back will have the tough task of locking down Álex Baena, who already has five assists in seven La Liga appearances.
CB: Éder Militão—The defender came off the pitch against Lille with some discomfort. If he is unfit to play against Villarreal, expect Aurélien Tchouaméni to drop back in his place.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—Rüdiger will look to help Lunin keep his first clean sheet of the season by silencing Nicolas Pépé and Thierno Barry, who both scored in Villarreal's last fixture.
LB: Ferland Mendy—The left-back needs to put in a good performance to secure his place in the XI over Fran García. The Frenchman came off at halftime against Lille after a lackluster 45 minutes.
CM: Federico Valverde—The Uruguayan was Real Madrid's best player mid-week and is in line to make his 11th consecutive start for Los Blancos this season.
CM: Jude Bellingham—The England international is still searching for his first goal of the 2024–25 season after netting 19 in his debut La Liga campaign.
RW: Rodrygo—Expect the Brazilian to get the nod if he is fit come Saturday. Rodrygo did not play against Lille due to a knock he picked up in the Madrid derby.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—After recovering from a thigh injury much quicker than expected, Mbappé could return to Ancelotti's XI in such an important fixture.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Villarreal: La Liga.
