Real Madrid News
Ancelotti has decided on Real Madrid’s attacking trident for RB Leipzig clash
Karim Benzema’s injury in the UEFA Champions League clash against Celtic was seen as a major worry for Real Madrid given the lack of a natural backup in the No. 9 role at Carlo Ancelotti’s disposal.
However, the performance earlier today against RCD Mallorca in La Liga will have eased a lot of nerves among the fanbase. Without Benzema on board, Los Blancos thrashed their visitors 4-1, riding on the brilliance of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Federico Valverde.
Eden Hazard had started as the No. 9 in Benzema’s absence after scoring against Celtic. However, the Belgian did not have the most effective outing on Sunday afternoon. Following his substitution, Rodrygo moved into the centre-forward slot and sparked things into life.
The Brazilian was brilliant playing through the middle as he set Vinicius up for a goal before scoring one himself with a brilliant strike.
Following his performance, MARCA (h/t Madrid Zone) is now reporting that Ancelotti has decided to start Rodrygo as the No. 9 ahead of Eden Hazard when Real Madrid face RB Leipzig in the Champions League next week.
With Rodrygo moving into a central role, Ancelotti plans to deploy Valverde out on the right flank against the Bundesliga giants. And Vinicius is a permanent fixture on the left flank, given his form and importance to the team.
Ancelotti praised Rodrygo’s performance playing through the middle against Mallorca, saying: “In the second half we did better when Rodrygo was striker, he combined well with Vinicius.”
So, unless something changes in the next couple of days, it seems like Real Madrid will line up with the attacking trident of Valverde, Rodrygo and Vinicius against RB Leipzig, with Hazard dropping down to the bench.
The trio was on target on Sunday afternoon and Madridistas will hope for them to carry on in the same vein of form in Europe.
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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Jose
September 12, 2022 at 11:20 am
That’s good but I thing the coach must give more game time to Hazard
Yoni
September 12, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Ancelotti should let him play another 20min like vini and rodrygo and he would score GIVE HIM TIME
Sesan Odesanya
September 13, 2022 at 10:04 am
It was always going to be a bad experiment with Hazard playing a false 9 role as it was during the el classico friendly. Rodrygo had always been a number 9 before coming to Spain although with s different characteristics to Benzema.