Haunted by their failures of last season, Real Madrid will be desperate to secure a victory over Barcelona in the first El Clásico of 2025–26.
Real Madrid made some unwanted history in Carlo Ancelotti’s final campaign in charge; for the first time in club history, Los Blancos lost four Clásicos in a single season. Barcelona came out on top in the Spanish Super Cup final, the Copa del Rey final and twice in La Liga against their bitter rivals.
The 15-time European Champions will want nothing more than to snap their four-game losing streak against the defending Spanish champions. A win in the biggest match in Spanish football comes with pride, bragging rights and an early command of the La Liga title race.
Xabi Alonso will have some tough decisions to make in his first El Clásico in charge. Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy are all back from injury, and it’s up to the new boss to decide which, if any, of the defensemen should get the nod on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s what Real Madrid’s XI could look like against Barcelona.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona (4-1-2-3)
GK: Thibaut Courtois—The Belgian will be eager to erase last season’s woes; Courtois conceded 12 goals in three appearances against Barcelona in 2024–25.
RB: Federico Valverde—Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold are options to start, but Alonso might opt to stick with Valverde instead of throwing one of the freshly recovered fullbacks into his XI.
CB: Éder Militão—The pressure will be on Militão to limit a Barcelona attack that has scored eight goals since returning from the October international break.
CB: Dean Huijsen—Now recovered from a minor muscle injury, the 20-year-old is in line to start in his first El Clásico. Raúl Asencio is also an option, but only if Alonso treats Huijsen with extreme caution.
LB: Álvaro Carreras—Carreras has arguably the hardest job on the pitch come Sunday: locking down Lamine Yamal.
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—The Frenchman will be ecstatic to finally face Barcelona from his natural position after struggling at center back against the Catalans last season.
AM: Jude Bellingham—Fresh off scoring his first goal since returning from injury, Bellingham will be brewing with confidence against an opponent he has dominated in the past.
AM: Arda Güler—Güler will have redemption on the mind after he got hooked at halftime in his first Clásico start last season. The young midfielder is Real Madrid’s best playmaker under Alonso.
RW: Franco Mastantuono—After only playing six minutes on Wednesday, the teenager could find himself back in Los Blancos’ XI to go up against Alejandro Balde.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—The forward bagged a hat trick in his last Clásico appearance, a performance he will hope to replicate given his sensational form.
LW: Vinícius Júnior—Vinícius Júnior will make his 335th appearance in a white shirt when he takes the pitch this weekend. The Brazil international is seeking his sixth league goal in 2025–26.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona: Los Blancos Out for Clasico Revenge.