Real Madrid at Racing: five straight wins, Vinicius out and Trent slipping

A run built on the Clásico

Real Madrid go to Santander on Sunday 1 November having won ^[1]: Villarreal, Sevilla and Barcelona in La Liga, and Roma and Leipzig in the Champions League. The 2-1 win at the Camp Nou was the headline. ^[2] also recalls the 4-3 comeback in Rome from 3-1 down, so the run has not been built only on comfortable afternoons.

Kylian Mbappé has driven it. He scored both goals in Barcelona, the second at around the 88th minute, and was named player of the match, according to ^[3]. Marca’s ^[4] puts him on 14 goals in 13 matches this season, all as a starter, or one goal every 83 minutes. It also notes he reached 100 Madrid goals in 116 matches.

Arda Güler has been another constant. ^[5] reports he played 94 minutes in the Clásico, his longest appearance of the season, and was involved in the build-up to the winner. He has four goals and three assists in 12 appearances and is described as a regular starter under Mourinho.

Who is available at Racing

The news before the trip is mostly good. Federico Valverde left the Clásico in the 62nd minute with muscular discomfort, but ^[6] and Mourinho can count on him. Thibaut Courtois is recovering from flu and is expected to return in goal, which would send Andriy Lunin back to the bench. Güler has a muscle overload but is also expected to be available.

In defence, ^[7] says Mourinho prefers the Konaté and Huijsen pairing, though that is reported rather than confirmed. Huijsen’s Clásico supports the case: 10 clearances, 16 defensive actions, 4 blocks and 37 of 45 passes completed. Éder Militão is in the final phase of his recovery and has not yet regained competitive fitness, so he is unlikely to be pushed back too quickly.

The main absentee is Vinicius Junior. He was sent off against Villarreal for pulling hair and received a ^[8]. Mourinho had to reinvent the attack for the Camp Nou, and Marca confirms Vinicius is ^[9] for the Valencia match on Saturday 7 November. That fixture is among the November games Marca lists: Racing, AEK, Valencia, Celta, PSV and Alavés.

Trent loses ground on the right

The squad’s most awkward storyline is Trent Alexander-Arnold. Marca reports he has played ^[10] and has four starts this season. It describes him as third choice at right-back behind Denzel Dumfries and Valverde, after Mourinho moved Valverde to the right side of midfield.

The same report says several clubs, mainly from England, are reportedly interested and may test for him in January. That is a rumour, and Marca adds that Alexander-Arnold currently says he is not considering leaving. For now, the role Valverde has taken is the one the team’s results back, which makes a quick return to the XI unlikely.

What it means

Madrid sit third in La Liga with 24 points from 10 games: eight wins, no draws and two defeats, with 25 goals scored and 10 conceded. A goal difference of +15 shows a side that is both scoring freely and keeping things tight. The last five results, all wins, are 1-0 against Villarreal, 4-3 at Roma, 4-1 against Sevilla, 4-1 against Leipzig and 2-1 at Barcelona.

The next fixture asks a different question from the Clásico. At Racing, Madrid have to show the run does not depend on big-match intensity. Without Vinicius, the attack will again lean on Mbappé’s finishing and Güler’s creativity, while Courtois’ return and a settled Konaté-Huijsen pairing should give the back line a steadier base. Valverde’s fitness matters because his move to the right is central to Mourinho’s current structure.

The site’s forecast for Santander v Real Madrid locks 24 hours before kick-off, so it will reflect the final team news. The form line points one way, and what remains to be seen is whether a lineup missing Vinicius can keep winning without Valverde’s workload being managed.

Sources

1. Marca: El Real Madrid pone la directa marca.com ↩
2. Marca: El Madrid que nació en Roma marca.com ↩
3. Marca: Henry alucina con Bellingham: "Lo que hizo fue una auténtica locura" marca.com ↩
4. Marca: Radiografía de los 100 goles de Mbappé con el Real Madrid: el ariete que se fabrica sus propios goles marca.com ↩
5. Marca: Los felices 90 de Güler marca.com ↩
6. Marca: Mou respira: no hay lesión de Fede marca.com ↩
7. Marca: Huijsen da un portazo al ruido marca.com ↩
8. Marca: El Madrid sigue en alerta roja marca.com ↩
9. Marca: Lleno técnico en Mestalla para recibir al Real Madrid... sin Vinicius marca.com ↩
10. Marca: Trent pierde el paso, pero no contempla una salida del Madrid... de momento marca.com ↩