Real Madrid News
Real Oviedo star names the Real Madrid player who ‘worries him the most’ ahead of La Liga clash
Following their 1-0 win over CA Osasuna in their La Liga opener this past Tuesday, Real Madrid will be back in action on Sunday night when they take on newly-promoted Real Oviedo away from home.
While they may have collected all three points, Real Madrid were still far from their best and will need to step up in the coming games.
One player who starred for the Merengues in their opening game was star forward Kylian Mbappe – even scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot.
So, it was only natural that the French superstar was handpicked by Real Oviedo goalkeeper Aaron Escandell as the Real Madrid player he was worried about the most heading into Sunday’s clash.
Indeed, speaking to El Chiringuito TV earlier today, Escandell said: “The player who worries me the most is Kylian Mbappe.”
Mbappe finished the 2024/25 season, his first at Real Madrid, as the top goalscorer, with 44 goals from 59 matches in all competitions. The French attacker won the Pichichi Trophy for the top scorer in La Liga as well as bagged the European Golden Boot prize.
Now handed the No. 10 shirt at Real Madrid, following the summer exit of Luka Modric, Mbappe has now begun the new campaign with a match-winning contribution against Osasuna.
Stepping up as the leader of the pack, more of the same will be expected from the 26-year-old megastar going forward in the campaign.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
