Coming out of an international break, it is never too early to do a Team News match preview article. And since this was the longest international break in a very long time, we’ll get started even earlier than usual. Real Madrid have a very long list of injury concerns, and that’s the bad news here. The good news is a lot of theiur injuries are not severe, and thus, they’ll have a few of their injury concerns actually passed fit, for when Villarreal comes to town on Saturday. Kylian Mbappe (knee strain), Federico Valverde (ankle sprain) and Ibrahima Konate (knee ligament problem) should all be good to go this weekend.
Real Madrid vs Villarreal CF FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Oct. 10, 2024, 9pm, El Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Detailed Real Madrid Injury List: Part 1 Part 2
La Liga Standings: Real Madrid 4th, 15 pts Villarreal CF 9th, 8 pts
La Liga Form: Real Madrid WLWWL Villarreal CF LLLWW
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid Win 72% Draw 15% Villarreal CF Win 13%
Real Madrid Team News
Meanwhile Eder Militao (thigh muscle problem) should be just a couple weeks or so behind, in his return. Over the internationals, we also saw an update on Raul Ascencio, who underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right tibia. And after the operation, Ascencio was visited by manager José Mourinho in the hospital.
And then finally, Ferland Mendy (tendon rupture) and Rodrygo (cruciate ligament tear) remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees. Mourinho will obviously start a strong side here but at the same time, he’ll keep one eye on managing the minutes of the guys building up their match fitness right now, as the first El Clasico is now less than three weeks away.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.