Real Madrid News
Just in: Alex Baena has filed a complaint against Fede Valverde for assault
Controversy ensued in Real Madrid’s defeat to Villarreal last night as Federico Valverde punched winger Alex Baena after the game.
The move was seen as a retribution to earlier comments Baena had made on Valverde’s son, who, at the time, was thought would not be born. Baena, though, has denied saying any of this in a recent social media post.
The incident was not mentioned in the referee’s official report after the game, so Valverde was not penalised. Villarreal, subsequently, did not file a report and left the matter in Baena’s hands, on whether or not he opts to launch an official complaint.
But according to Alberto Pereiro, Baena has now filed a complaint against Valverde for assault, after a series of speculations and theories over the incident.
While it is still too early to deduce what is going to happen with this case, there is no doubt that Valverde could find himself in trouble at a crucial juncture of the season.
MARCA reports that Baena has filed a complaint against Valverde to Police. So, the case would go through criminal proceedings, which would mean that the midfielder will not face any sporting sanctions.
This could spell a whole lot of trouble for Real Madrid, as Valverde has been one of the key performers for the team this season.
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
🆚 @ElcheCF
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