Real Madrid News
Opponent watch: Chelsea trio return to training ahead of Real Madrid clash
After a disappointing defeat to Villarreal in La Liga, Real Madrid will be looking to get back to winning ways when they take on Chelsea in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
It will not be an easy task for the defending champions, despite Chelsea’s poor form in the Premier League. Their newly-appointed manager Frank Lampard is already looking forward to the clash, stating, “Anything can happen”.
In a blow for Real Madrid, Chelsea have also been boosted by the return of Thiago Silva. The 38-year-old defensive leader has been out of action for a chunk of this year due to a ligament injury, missing a host of matches including one of the two Round of 16 clashes against Borussia Dortmund.
But he has returned to training ahead of Real Madrid. Silva is not the only player to return to training either, with his teammates Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante also joining him on the list, as confirmed by the club’s official website.
Mount, who has racked up four assists in the UCL so far, had been suffering from a broken pelvis. While he returned to training last week, he suffered a recurrence of the issue which led to him missing the match against Wolves over the weekend, casting doubts over his involvement against Madrid.
Meanwhile, Kante had been struggling with a hamstring injury for almost the entirety of the campaign. The midfield general only recently made a full return to action but was again left out of the Wolves clash as Lampard sought to manage his recovery and fitness.
However, the Frenchman, along with Mount and Silva has returned to training but it remains to be seen if they will be available for Chelsea when they take on Real Madrid this midweek.
Real Madrid are all set to take on Rayo Vallecano in their fifth La Liga match of the 2026/27 season in a little over an hour at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Having lost their previous league game to Real Betis, the Merengues will be eager to get things back on track and close the gap to leaders Barcelona, who are three points clear.
Diomande’s first start
With kickoff not far away, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Rayo Vallecano.
And the biggest headline is that marquee summer signing Yan Diomande makes his first start for Real Madrid.
The €140 million arrival from RB Leipzig has been drip-fed minutes off the bench so far by the manager, but has been thrust into the team tonight, replacing Brahim Diaz on the right flank.
What it also means is that Arda Guler has been left out by Mourinho after the youngster missed the midweek clash against Inter Milan through suspension.
Bernardo Silva, who was also unavailable for the Champions League clash, is back in the double pivot for Real Madrid, where he partners club captain Federico Valverde.
Jude Bellingham continues in the attacking midfield position, while Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. retain their places in the team as well.
In defence, there are a couple of alterations as Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras come into the side at the expense of Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella, respectively.
Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries complete the Real Madrid backline that will shield Thibaut Courtois in goal.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 12, 2026
🆚 @RayoVallecano
👉 @UnicajaBanco pic.twitter.com/R7R7Yj0MnL
