Matches
Tchouameni, Mbappe start in a 4-3-3 – How Real Madrid can line up against Real Oviedo
Following their El Clasico defeat to FC Barcelona, Real Madrid are back in action tonight as they take on Real Oviedo back at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Given everything has happened since the last time they played at their home, Los Blancos are expected to in for a hostile reception from the fans at the Bernabeu.
After all, they lost to Barça at the Spotify Camp Nou, allowing their early coronation in La Liga, and not to forget the dressing room fight between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde days before that.
It will be up to the player and manager Alvaro Arbeloa to put on a good show against Oviedo and ensure that they take a step towards finishing the season strongly, with only two more matches being left after tonight.
Leading up to the game, Real Madrid have been dealt with a fitness boost as Kylian Mbappe has resumed full training and is expected to be available. Dani Carvajal, too, has trained with the team, although his availability remains uncertain.
Andriy Lunin and Dean Huijsen, though, are likely to miss out along with Federico Valverde, Rodrygo Goes, Arda Guler, Eder Militao, and Ferland Mendy.
With that being said, here’s how Arbeloa could set his team up against Real Oviedo in what could be his penultimate home game as Real Madrid manager.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois made his comeback from injury last weekend in the Clasico and is expected to start between the sticks against Real Oviedo tonight at the Bernabeu.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been included in England’s pre-list for the World Cup, will continue at right-back, hoping to convince Thomas Tuchel to name him in the final squad for the tournament.
On the left, Arbeloa has showed a clear preference for Fran Garcia over Alvaro Carreras and that is unlikely to change tonight.
Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio will form the centre-back pairing for Los Blancos, with David Alaba being an alternative off the bench.
Midfield
Aurelien Tchouameni, fresh after being named in the La Liga Team of the Season for 2025/26, will continue operating at the base of the Real Madrid midfield unit.
The Frenchman will have his compatriot Eduardo Camavinga for support in the middle, with the 23-year-old hoping to make an impression on Didier Deschamps before the World Cup.
The third slot in the middle of the park will likely be taken up by Jude Bellingham, who has had a rather underwhelming campaign compared to his first two years at the club. Young midfielder Thiago Pitarch could minutes off the bench.
Attack
Meanwhile, in attack, Kylian Mbappe is expected to take up his place in the No. 9 position after having recovered from his fitness issues. With Real Madrid having looked toothless in attack in the Clasico, the Frenchman’s return will be a welcome boost.
On the left side, it will be Vinicius Jr., who will need to step up and find a way to work better with Mbappe for the team to succeed.
Finally, Brahim Diaz, who showed signs of spark in the defeat to Barcelona, will continue on the right flank for Los Blancos. Franco Mastantuono will be an option off the bench.
The festival called the UEFA Champions League returned to the Santiago Bernabeu last night as Los Blancos hosted Inter Milan in their very first game in the competition this season.
Jose Mourinho had massive selection dilemmas in midfield, and eventually opted to start Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Federico Valverde in the absence of Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga.
That experiment did not work out, and Real Madrid consistently lost the midfield battle on the night. Yet, they managed to capitalise on moments of individual brilliance and hold on to a 2-1 win to register their biggest win of the season yet.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan.
Two lucky goals
Real Madrid did not take long to go 2-0 up against Inter Milan last night, but that had more to do with the visitors’ sloppy defence rather than Los Blancos’ brilliance.
The men in white started the game pressing well, but Inter Milan looked very shaky in possession. They made two errors in the first 20 minutes, and Real Madrid capitalised and converted both.
Kylian Mbappe’s opener came off a moment of mayhem between Inter Milan’s defenders where the ball was left in no man’s land. Brahim Diaz pounced on it and played it through to the French forward, who made no mistake.
Minutes later, Federico Valverde directly dispossessed the goalkeeper with his press and deflected the ball into the back of the net, making it 2-0. Those were the only goals Los Blancos scored on the night.
While there is nothing wrong with capitalising on defensive errors and using that to lay the foundation for the win, the fact remains that Real Madrid were largely unimpressive throughout the 90 minutes. Inter Milan committing those errors, needless to say, was lucky for Real Madrid who rode on them to take three points.
Thibaut Courtois saves the day
Despite Real Madrid taking an early lead and even having the home advantage, it was Inter Milan who dominated large parts of the game and kept the lion’s share of possession.
At one point, it looked like Jose Mourinho’s men did not even bother having possession as they sat back and defended, hoping to break on the counter and convert.
That plan, needless to say, led to Inter Milan seeing a lot of the Real Madrid goal and putting serious pressure on the hosts’ defence.
Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate and Marc Cucurella all had strong games at the back, but in the end, it was Thibaut Courtois who saved the day for Los Blancos.
The Belgian goalkeeper made a staggering seven saves for his side on the night including two from inside the box. Inter Milan’s finishing was indeed poor, but Courtois’ greatness stood out and ensured Real Madrid held on to their tight lead.
If not for the veteran goalkeeper, Mourinho’s men could well be staring at defeat. Their performance, after all, was unimpressive and Inter Milan had some big chances to equalise denied by Courtois.
Three massive points
The team’s performance against Inter Milan was not convincing, and that will be something for Mourinho to dig into and look to improve.
What Real Madrid will be pleased about, however, is taking all three points away from the night, for they are absolutely massive from the point of view of the competition.
Inter Milan represented one of Real Madrid’s biggest challenges in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League alongside Arsenal, and to take three points from one of their two elite opponents is worth its weight in gold.
They still have Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig, LASK Linz, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens to come, and Real Madrid will back themselves against most of the teams in that list.
Taking three points in one of their two most difficult games will go a long way in tying them down to a top-8 finish if they can win the easier clashes while also handing them some leeway for a potential defeat at some stage in the competition.
