Before Real Madrid can look ahead to El Clásico at the weekend, they must first take on Juventus in a heavyweight Champions League encounter at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Barring one lopsided defeat to Atlético Madrid, Los Blancos have executed a near-flawless start to their first season under Xabi Alonso. Real Madrid have claimed 10 wins in 2025–26, and two have already come in the Champions League.
The Spanish giants are hoping to remain perfect on Europe’s biggest stage when they host Juventus on Wednesday evening. The two clubs clashed in the United States during the summer in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16, and Real Madrid walked away with a 1–0 victory.
Three months later, Alonso’s XI will look different, especially given Los Blancos’ current injury list. David Alaba, Antonio Rüdiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos are all unavailable for the clash.
Here’s what Real Madrid’s XI could look like against Juventus.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Juventus (4-3-3)
GK: Thibaut Courtois—The Belgian will hope to replicate his Club World Cup quarterfinals performance and make it two clean sheets in two matches against Juventus.
RB: Federico Valverde—Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold are back in training, but the right flank will belong to Valverde until either player regains full match fitness.
CB: Raúl Asencio—A disappointing summer is a thing of the past for Asencio, who has filled in admirably in times of emergency this season. The defender gets the nod as Alonso awaits the return of Huijsen.
CB: Éder Militão—The Brazil international is the leader of Real Madrid’s backline, but must not take any risks with the Clásico just days away.
LB: Álvaro Carreras—Carreras has quietly delivered solid performance after solid performance since his struggles in the Madrid derby, but he is in for a large test against Francisco Conceição.
CM: Arda Güler—The 20-year-old has gone from barely playing last season to becoming a key member of Alonso’s XI. Güler already has eight goal contributions in 2025–26.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—Arguably the unsung hero of Los Blancos’ strong start, Tchouaméni is a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the park.
CM: Jude Bellingham—Bellingham is coming off his best performance since his return from injury. With the Clásico on the horizon, the England international could be rested, but Alonso might be more tempted to experiment with both Güler and Bellingham in the midfield.
RW: Franco Mastantuono—What Mastantuono lacks in production he makes up for with his dribbling ability and creativity on the right wing. The Argentine is always a threat with the ball at his feet.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—The Frenchman will look to extend his scoring streak to 12 consecutive matches in Wednesday’s clash. Mbappé already has 15 goals to his name this campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Juventus: Los Blancos Look to Remain Perfect in Europe.
