Real Madrid News
Just in – Fede Valverde will not play for Real Madrid against Barcelona
Real Madrid find themselves in absolute turmoil with the state that their dressing room is currently in.
As already reported, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were involved in a physical altercation today which ended with the former getting knocked down and suffering a cut on his face, needing to visit a hospital to get stitches.
Real Madrid have already opened disciplinary proceedings against both players and are planning to hand out serious punishments, with their involvement for Sunday’s El Clasico under huge doubt.
Valverde to definitely miss El Clasico
Now, according to journalist Abraham Romero of El Mundo, Valverde will most certainly not play for Real Madrid against Barcelona this weekend.
Having suffered a blow to his head during the altercation inside the dressing room, the midfielder was dizzy and had to be taken to the hospital in a wheelchair.
As such, the doctors have recommended him not to train or play for a minimum of one week, meaning he will not be involved in Sunday’s game against Barcelona.
In fact, an alternate report from Edu Aguirre of El Chiringuito TV further states that Valverde even lost consciousness briefly and forgot some things immediately after he took the knock to his head. It is the reason why he had to take a CT scan.
Given the circumstances, irrespective of a sanction from the club, Valverde will not be risked against Barcelona on Sunday.
As for Tchouameni, the Frenchman, too, is unlikely to be involved in the Clasico, with Real Madrid expected to issue a strict sanction to both players for what went down at Valdebebas.
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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