Squad news for El Sardinero
Real Madrid’s squad for Sunday’s trip to Racing Santander brings one clear boost and one clear loss. Thibaut Courtois is back after missing the Clásico with a flu-like illness, and [1] reports he is expected to return as the starting goalkeeper. Éder Militão is also back in the group, which gives José Mourinho more options in defence.
The absence is Federico Valverde, who has not recovered from the knock he picked up in the win over Barcelona. That matters because Valverde has been part of a midfield that includes Bernardo Silva and Aurélien Tchouaméni, so the balance of that unit will change.
At right-back, Denzel Dumfries is expected to start in Valverde’s absence from the lineup, according to the same report, which says Mourinho has been giving him more minutes than Trent Alexander-Arnold. That expectation carries less certainty than the goalkeeper news, so treat it as likely rather than confirmed.
Form and the numbers behind it
Madrid arrive in strong shape. They have won five matches in a row, a run [2] describes as one of the longest among the big European leagues. That sequence includes a 1-0 home win over Villarreal, a 4-3 win at Roma, a 4-1 win over Sevilla, a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig and the 2-1 win at Barcelona.
The scoring record is the headline. Including three Champions League matches against Inter, Roma and Leipzig, Madrid have scored 35 goals this season, averaging nearly 2.7 per game, [3]. In La Liga alone it is 25 goals in 10 matches.
Kylian Mbappé is central to that. He has played 1,161 of Madrid’s 1,170 minutes this season, and Mourinho has called him untouchable. Meanwhile Bernardo Silva’s deeper role has coincided with better control of the ball: Madrid’s average possession is reported at about 57% with him on the pitch against about 47% without him, per [4]. He was also praised for his defensive work in front of the back line at Camp Nou.
What Racing believe
Racing will not treat this as a lost cause. Midfielder André Almeida told Radio MARCA that his side believes it can surprise Real Madrid at El Sardinero, and he praised Mourinho’s ability to motivate players. He was also candid about a weakness: Racing are finding it harder to pick up points away from home.
That comment is a useful reminder that home advantage is the main thing Racing can lean on. The article contained no injury or selection news for the hosts, so there is nothing in the input to suggest how they will line up.
For Madrid, the risk is the one that follows any big result. A win at Barcelona followed by a trip to a motivated, home-backed side tests concentration, especially with Valverde missing and the right-back slot likely to change. Madrid have lost twice in the league this season, to Betis and Atlético de Madrid, so they have shown they can slip against organised opponents.
What it means
Madrid sit third in La Liga with 24 points from 10 matches, a record of eight wins, no draws and two defeats, with 25 goals scored and 10 conceded. Those two losses are the reason they are chasing rather than leading, so every dropped point at a ground like El Sardinero would be costly.
The form says the team is in rhythm: five straight wins, four of them by three goals or more in the league and Europe, and a high-scoring attack. The question this fixture asks is whether that rhythm survives a change in midfield and at right-back, and a return in goal.
The site’s forecast leans heavily towards the visitors. It gives Real Madrid an 85.0% chance of winning, a 10.0% chance of a draw and 5.0% for a Racing win, with a predicted score of 1-3. That is a confident call, though Racing’s belief and Madrid’s lineup changes keep it from being a formality. We will grade the prediction publicly once the result is in.
