Real Madrid Confirm Four Returning Stars for El Clasico

Real Madrid’s confirmed squad for Sunday’s home Clásico against Barcelona welcomed back a glut of key figures, including the right back pairing of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal.

Midfielder Dani Ceballos joined center back Dean Huijsen to complete a quartet of eye-catching additions, even if it wasn’t an entirely unblemished roster.

“We’ve got almost all the players back who couldn’t play against Juventus,” Alonso noted in his pregame press conference on Saturday. “Tomorrow you’ll see the starting XI, but everyone in the squad can play.”

Alexander-Arnold hasn’t been involved in a competitive fixture for Madrid since limping off on his Champions League debut for the club back in mid-September with a hamstring injury. It remains to be seen whether Alonso will thrust the England international straight back into the firing line with a start in his first Clásico, but Carvajal’s concurrent return raises the prospect of the pair sharing some game time at the Bernabéu.

Real Madrid’s Returning Stars

Dani Carvajal (left) and Trent Alexander-Arnold. — Dani Carvajal (left) and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be fighting for the same starting spot. | David Ramos/Luke Hales/Getty Images

Huijsen has only sat out three weeks of action with a calf strain after living up to his prediction of a return against Barcelona. Neither David Alaba nor Antonio Rüdiger has been included in Alonso’s squad, leaving Huijsen to compete with just Raúl Asencio for the role of Éder Militão’s center back partner.

Ceballos, who picked up a muscle complaint of his own earlier this month, is another midfield option for Alonso. The 29-year-old is unlikely to start—he has been included in just four of Madrid’s 12 starting XIs this season—but could be called upon as a calm head in the middle from the bench should Barcelona’s midfield assume control on Sunday’s contest.

Madrid head into the first Clásico of the season with a narrow two-point advantage over Barcelona at La Liga’s summit. While Hansi Flick’s Catalan outfit have been typically chaotic throughout the opening three months of the new campaign—racking up 34 goals across 12 games while also leaving themselves constantly vulnerable in transition—Alonso’s Madrid have been more prosaic.

The capital side have somehow conspired to win 11 matches without ever quite looking entirely convincing. Yet, on the occasion of their single defeat, they were ruthlessly dismantled 5–2 by Atlético Madrid.

“We’re competing very well, but I think we can play even better,” Alonso mused. “We’re building a solid foundation to be reliable. We have to take the next step, but we’re playing good football.” The return of several key figures could help Madrid make that jump.