Real Madrid Expected Lineup & Team News Vs. FC Barcelona

The top two in La Liga will come head to head at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night at 9pm local time (3pm ET), as Real Madrid take on league leaders FC Barcelona after both sides secured thrilling victories against German opposition in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

While Real Madrid overcame Borussia Dortmund 5-2 on Tuesday, FC Barcelona beat Bayern Munich 4-1 on Wednesday night, and both head into this game full of optimism.

However, it’s not all plain sailing for Los Blancos as coach Carlo Ancelotti has some major injury news to contend with following that battle against Dortmund, losing two potential starters to muscle injuries.

Real Madrid will be looking to secure a fourth consecutive Clásico victory, adding to a complete set last season as they beat Barcelona 2-1 in Catalonia, 3-2 in Madrid and 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final.

FC Barcelona won an exhibition match at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this summer, running out 2-1 winners, but have not won a competitive fixture between the two teams since March 2023, when Barcelona secured a 2-1 win courtesy of an injury-time winner from Franck Kessié at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Real Madrid team news vs. FC Barcelona

Carlo Ancelotti has two major blows to deal with following his team’s dramatic late win over Borussia Dortmund in midweek as it was confirmed that both Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo Goes would be unavailable for the Clásico on Saturday night.

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The goalkeeper has been ruled out due to an adductor injury in his left leg, though a date has not yet been set for his return. In his place, Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is set to step in once again.

Rodrygo’s injury was clear at the Bernabéu on Tuesday night as he pulled up holding his hamstring in the build-up to the team’s third goal. No official statement has been made on his injury, but it is almost certain that he will not be able to feature against FC Barcelona.

Among the long-term injuries which are currently ongoing, Brahim Díaz could hope to make a return to the bench after he has trained fully with the team for much of this week after a spell of two months on the sidelines.

There are no other injury updates for Real Madrid, who remain without long-term absentees David Alaba and Dani Carvajal, and they will not have any players serving suspensions during this match.

Expected Real Madrid lineup vs. FC Barcelona

Expected Real Madrid lineup vs. FC Barcelona: Andriy Lunin; Lucas Vázquez, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy; Aurélien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham; Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior.

Ancelotti is likely to revert to a midfield diamond given the absence of Rodrygo Goes, meaning that Jude Bellingham will return to a more offensive role behind a front two consisting of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior.

The other significant change will see Luka Modrić drop from the side after the veteran featured in midweek, with Eduardo Camavinga replacing him in midfield and Aurélien Tchouameni regaining his position as the team’s holding midfielder to add some defensive strength.