Real Madrid News
24-year-old Real Madrid midfielder aiming to become a regular starter next season
The transition of Real Madrid’s midfield has been a topic constantly touched upon in the past few years. Yet, the club’s infamous midfield trio have continually led from the front year after year as if they are not ageing.
The upcoming season, however, is expected to be one where the mantle is finally passed. With several young stars at his disposal, Ancelotti can finally begin to relieve the veterans of their responsibilities.
According to reports from MARCA, Federico Valverde is aiming to take a leap and be a regular starter for the upcoming season.
The Uruguayan international has been a regular part of Los Blancos’ first team since his promotion in 2018 and continues to be a key cog in Ancelotti’s plans. However, his path to becoming a starter is not easy.
Though Luka Modric will be conservatively used by the manager this year, Eduardo Camavinga is well placed to start in place of the Croatian.
Moreover, the second spot in midfield too has severe competition given that Casemiro now has a deputy in the form of Aurelien Tchouameni. Thus, it is implied that Valverde can only be a starter if he proves himself superior to Toni Kroos, Modric, and even Camavinga.
While it is certainly not impossible, it would require a tremendous effort for Valverde to bench the 32-year-old German. Nevertheless, the Uruguayan’s desire to push his limits can only be positive news for Ancelotti.
Last season, Valverde participated in 31 La Liga games for the Champions and provided just one assist in that duration. He also recorded one assist in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
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