Just three days after an embarassing defeat in the Madrid derby, Real Madrid return to Champions League action to take on Kairat.
Real Madrid saw their perfect start to the 2025–26 season demolished by Atlético Madrid at the weekend. Xabi Alonso’s men suffered a dreadful 5–2 defeat at the Metropolitano, allowing bitter rivals Barcelona to take control of the early La Liga title race.
Los Blancos have little time to wallow in the loss, though; the Spanish giants made the long trip to Asia 24 hours later to prepare for their second Champions League league phase match. Real Madrid will play their first-ever game against Kazakhstan Premier League side Kairat.
Despite the apparent mismatch between the two clubs, Alonso is severely undermanned for the clash. Both Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão joined Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy in the infirmary, leaving the 15-time European champions without a first-team right back.
Here’s what Real Madrid’s XI could look like for the Champions League bout.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Kairat (4-2-3-1)
GK: Thibaut Courtois—After making just two saves and conceding five goals in Saturday’s Madrid derby, Courtois will look for a redemptive performance in Europe.
RB: Federico Valverde—With both Alexander-Arnold and Carvajal unavailable, Valverde returns to his emergency right back duties.
CB: Raúl Asencio—Despite falling down Alonso’s pecking order this summer, the Real Madrid Castilla product suddenly finds himself in line to start his third match of the season.
CB: Dean Huijsen—Huijsen will hope to make up for his lackluster performance against Atlético Madrid.
LB: Fran García—Álvaro Carreras’ poor showing at the weekend leaves the door open for García to get some playing time. The Spaniard has only logged 112 minutes this season.
DM: Eduardo Camavinga—The Frenchman could make a surprise appearance in Alonso’s XI, making his first start since April.
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—Tchouaméni is in line to make his 155th appearance in a white shirt. Dani Ceballos is also an option should Alonso opt for heavy rotation.
AM: Arda Güler—The 20-year-old is developing an elite chemistry with Mbappé that has carried Los Blancos’ attack in recent weeks. Güler already has six goal contributions to his name in 2025–26.
RW: Franco Mastantuono—Expect Mastantuono to return to the right wing after being overlooked in the first Madrid derby of the season. The Argentine is the creative playmaker Real Madrid desperately missed against Diego Simeone’s side.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—Alonso might be tempted to give Mbappé a rest, but it seems almost impossible to keep the France captain out of his XI. The superstar forward has already found the back of the net 12 times in his last 10 appearances for club and country.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Kairat: Defensive Injuries Haunt Alonso.
