Real Madrid saw their 36-game unbeaten run come to an end in their midweek match against Lille in the UEFA Champions League. This was one of the poorest displays from the men in white since the start of the season, and the team definitely needs to put in a strong reaction to reclaim that lost morale of the players and the fans.
Real Madrid have a very good opportunity to do so with their upcoming match against Villarreal. The Merengues are currently second in the league table with 18 points, while Villarreal are third with only a single-point deficit, and this match can thus have a significant impact on the La Liga table as well.
But Carlo Ancelotti remains without some of his key players for this game. Thibaut Courtois, who suffered an abductor injury in the game against Atletico Madrid, remains unavailable for this game, but Real Madrid have an able deputy in the form of Andriy Lunin to cover for this loss.
Both Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga returned to the pitch in the match against Lille, and are once against named in the squad for this upcoming game against Villarreal. While Camavinga might get to play, it is not yet clear whether Mbappe will step on the pitch as there are still some concerns about his fitness.
Similarly, Dani Ceballos has also returned to the squad after missing the last few weeks with an injury.
Meanwhile, other players like David Alaba and Brahim Diaz still remain absent as they continue with their recovery processes.
The full squad announced by Real Madrid for this game is as follows:
Goalkeepers:
- 1: Andriy Lunin
- 2: Fran Gonzalez
- 3: Sergio Mestre
Defenders:
- 1: Dani Carvajal
- 2: Eder Militao
- 3: Lucas Vazquez
- 4: Jesus Vallejo
- 5: Fran Garcia
- 6: Antonio Rudiger
- 7: Ferland Mendy
- 8: Jacobo Ramon
Midfielders:
- 1: Jude Bellingham
- 2: Eduardo Camavinga
- 3: Federico Valverde
- 4: Luka Modric
- 5: Aurelien Tchouameni
- 6: Arda Guler
- 7: Dani Ceballos
Forwards:
- 1: Kylian Mbappe
- 2: Vinicius Junior
- 3: Rodrygo Goes
- 4: Endrick
