Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran back in training ahead of cup tie; five academy talents called up
Real Madrid have been hurt by numerous injury problems in recent weeks, especially in the defensive department.
The Merengues continue to be without a natural senior right-back at the moment, while Eder Militao, their most important centre-back, has also been sidelined and will not return for a few months.
Antonio Rudiger has also been dealing with discomfort, but pushed himself to play against Alaves over the weekend, although he is not training today ahead of the team’s Copa del Rey opener vs CF Talavera, along with Kylian Mbappe, Fede Valverde, and Dani Ceballos.
David Alaba back
But there is some positive news for Real Madrid as David Alaba has resumed group training, confirms journalist Melchor Ruiz of COPE.
The veteran defender has only played four times in all competitions this season, with injuries constantly troubling him.
Alaba’s last appearance for Real Madrid came in October against Getafe, following which he has gone on to miss 11 matches in all competitions due to a calf issue.
But, the Austrian international, who appears set to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires, resumed training today and might be available for the trip to face Talavera.
Five youngsters called up
Meanwhile, given the number of absences in the first-team squad, manager Xabi Alonso once again turned to the Castilla setup to call up several young prospects to training.
As many as five exciting talents from Castilla trained with the senior setup today, with Joan Martinez, Jorge Cestero, Victor Valdepenas, and David Jimenez being joined by Thiago Pitarch.
As reported earlier in the week, there is a strong chance that Jimenez could become the second academy prospect to make his first-team debut under Xabi Alonso after Valdepenas, whose maiden appearance came vs Alaves over the weekend.
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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