Real Madrid will return from March international break action on Saturday with a battle against the islanders Mallorca in La Liga, as the underdogs are one of the toughest teams in European football to face on the road.
Los Blancos will be without Fede Valverde, as the star center midfielder was suspended for one game due to a rather harsh red card call against him in the Derbi victory over Atletico Madrid. Here is a predicted lineup for Real Madrid vs. Mallorca, including how to replace Fede in the middle of the park.
GK Andriy Lunin
Thibaut Courtois is out until May with a muscular injury, so Andriy Lunin will continue to start in goal. He is one of the best shot stoppers in La Liga, and he may be kept busy on Saturday with Mallorca sending counterattacking chances at him.
LB Alvaro Carreras
Alvaro Carreras has recovered from his own injury issues and is back in the starting lineup to replace Fran Garcia.
CB Dean Huijsen
CB Antonio Rudiger
Dean Huijsen and Antonio Rudiger are the best center back partnership Real Madrid have right now until Eder Militao is 100 percent back from his injury. It is more likely for Real to give Militao minutes off the bench for Rudiger as a sub this weekend before unleashing him as the main starter against Bayern Munich, tuning him up a bit vs. Mallorca before having him fully fit for the big Champions League quarterfinal clash.
RB Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold is showing flashses of what he can do on the ball, but he is going to have to tighten up defensively if he wants to keep being the main starter at right back.
DM Thiago Pitarch
DM Aurelien Tchouameni
Real Madrid continue to roll with Thiago Pitarch as a starter. Not only has Alvaro Arbeloa unlocked the best football of Aurelien Tchouameni's career in midfield, but having Pitarch staying back to maintain the organization of the team in possession with his brilliant positioning and crisp passing has made Tchou a bigger threat going forward, where he can really shine with his shooting technique from the edge of the box. This deep midfield duo is one of the best in world football, and Pitarch has, out of nowhere, become one of the keys to this team
LAM Jude Bellingham
RAM Arda Guler
With no Fede Valverde, Real Madrid start their best players against Mallorca, getting both Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham involved in positions where they can cut inside and shoot in possession. That may narrow the pitch, but Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are both comfortable splitting out wide and collecting or taking defenders on from wing positions.
Guler and Bellingham are two of Real's biggest stars. They are both great chance creators and goal threats, while Bellingham brings the same elite box to box defending and work rate that Valverde does.
LF Vinicius Junior
RF Kylian Mbappe
Vinicius Junior is back in fire form under Arbeloa, and he is even playing well for Brazil. He and Kylian Mbappe are two of the biggest attacking weapons in the world and the unquestioned stars of Real Madrid, especially with Courtois out. Mbappe is back from a knee injury and ready to show the world what he can do by ripping Mallorca apart. On the right, he is the real key to Real in this formation, since he has the freedom and brunt of the decision making when it comes to drifting across the attack to carve out chances for himself and others. Vini will have most of the ball, but Mbappe will have the work off the ball to make himself available for chances from Vini, Guler, and Jude (and Tchou, too).