Real Madrid News
Opponent watch: Liverpool midfielder set to miss Real Madrid clash due to hip injury
In another blow for Liverpool, midfielder Thiago Alcantara has suffered a hip injury that is set to sideline him for four weeks, reports The Telegraph, effectively ruling him out of the UEFA Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
Liverpool are going through a torrid campaign and are under the pump after a series of disappointing results in the Premier League.
Things will hardly get easier for them as the Reds will face defending European champions Real Madrid in the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
And Thiago could now be set to miss the match against Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
The former Barcelona midfielder is believed to have picked up a hip injury earlier this week, which will see him miss the Merseyside derby against Everton on Monday.
Liverpool will be taking on Real Madrid in less than ten days and it is expected that Thiago could be out for four weeks, which means he is unlikely to be available for the first leg of the Round of 16 contest either.
This comes as another hammerblow for Jurgen Klopp & co., who are already dealing with injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate, Roberto Firmino, and Calvin Ramsay while summer loan arrival Arthur Melo has not played a single game to date either.
The 31-year-old Thiago has played 24 times across all competition for the Premier League side this season, registering one assist in the process.
Liverpool will welcome Real Madrid to Anfield on 21st February for the first leg, before the reverse fixture is played on 15th March at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It will be a replay of the last season’s Champions League final, which Real Madrid won 1-0 to lift their 14th European title.
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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