After their midweek defeat to Lille in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid prepare themselves to take on Villarreal at home in match day 9 of La Liga.
Eder Militao is doubtful for this fixture after he was taken off early in the 2nd half against Lille. It would also be interesting to see if Carlo Ancelotti gives Federico Valverde some rest as the Uruguayan has played a part in every match this season.
Here is how Real Madrid can line up against Villareal:
GK: Andriy Lunin
He will receive yet another start, with Thibaut Courtois not having recovered from his abductor injury yet. The Ukrainian made some great saves and only conceded from the penalty. He kept 10 clean-sheets in 21 starts last season and will hope to repeat his form this season as well.
RB: Dani Carvajal
The captain had a fairy average outing against Lille. Despite trying hard, the Real Madrid captain was unable to create any big chances, although he was close to equalising from a header which went wide. But he is still one of the best in the world at his position and hopefully will prove it again again Villarreal.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger
Held is ground against Lille despite being troubled a couple of times. With the length of Militao’s injury unknown, the German will have to be the sole leader at the back.
CB: Aurelien Tchouaméni.
The Frenchman has proven to be a solid backup in those positions in the past and the last time he played here was a 4-1 win against Espanyol earlier this season. Will look to be more calm on the ball and not misplace any passes as he has done at a few instances this season.
LB: Ferland Mendy
Again, he was unable to offer anything up front but kept his ground during the defensive actions. Has not really had the best of seasons so far but it is not too late to change that.
CM: Federico Valverde
If all goes well, the Uruguayan will make yet another start for Real Madrid. Easily the most important player in the squad and arguably irreplaceable. It would not be a surprise if he is rested in favour of Arda Güler.
CDM: Eduardo Camavinga
It was a quiet return to football for Camavinga as the Frenchman was unable to make a major impact against Lille. But it was just his first game and he would look to build on some momentum he has found recently.
CM: Jude Bellingham
Even though the Englishman has not been active on the goal scoring front this season, he has been a vital part of the team. His calmness on the ball, way of grazing past players and ability to win the ball back makes him one of the best in the world.
RW: Rodrygo
It was a surprise to see the Brazilian not receive any minutes against Lille as it felt like the way things were going, he could have been a game-changer. But he has operated well when Mbappe and Vinicius are on the pitch. Would look to add to his tally of 3 goals and 2 assists in 10 matches.
ST: Kylian Mbappe
It was a surprise to see him recover way earlier than expected. Looked comfortable and made some pacy runs. The star striker takes as many as 5.6 shots per match and has a xG of 6.95 – which shows that he has not been as efficient as per his caliber. His best is clearly yet to come and with the next six fixtures being against tough opponents, Mbappe will have to show what he is capable of.
LW: Vinícius Júnior
The Brazilian would want to forget his outing against Lille as soon as possible. Not his best game, having just two shots at goal. Has been a force to reckon with in La Liga though, with 3 goals and 4 assists in 8 games. The big game player will have to step up tonight against Villarreal.