Predicted Lineup For Villarreal vs Real Madrid In La Liga With Rodrygo Decision

It's a huge weekend for Real Madrid, one that could push them on to achieving big things under Alvaro Arbeloa. They are back in La Liga action against Villarreal on January 24 at the Estadio de la Cerámica. A loss would cast doubt on the team once again and hand Barcelona the advantage back.

After cutting the deficit to just one point last week, this game feels big. For head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, Rodrygo is back for the game, and Raul Asencio also looks to be past fit, which is huge news.

It looks like Antonio Rudiger is still dealing with a knee injury and won't be available. If Asencio were not fit, it would be a huge problem. One major problem is that the team will not be able to select Aurélien Tchouaméni. The French midfielder's yellow card against Levante means he is out of this game through suspension.

📋✅ Our squad for the match!
🆚 @VillarrealCFen pic.twitter.com/zPkl8KrQzk
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 23, 2026

The question for Arbeloa is whether he should change the team that beat Monaco so comfortably in mid-week? Rodrygo was playing very well before his injury, so it would be hard to keep him out of such a big game.

Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Villarreal (4-3-3)

GK: Thibaut Courtois - The Belgian was denied back-to-back clean sheets with the team trying to play out from the back. They can't be so careless in this game.

RB: Fede Valverde - Arbeloa would love to get Carvajal some gametime, but this feels like too important a game to take any risks. Therefore, Valverde will continue out of position.

CB - Raul Asencio - The academy prospect was a doubt, but he appears to be fit, which is a good job with Antonio Rudiger still out.

CB: Dean Huijsen - Huijsen has partnered with Asencio for the last few games. Could a strong partnership be brewing?

LB: Alvaro Carreras - The left-back was suspended for the game against Monaco, but will come back into the team despite Camavinga's solid performance in his absence.

CM: Dani Ceballos - With Tchouaméni suspended, it's a big call on who will replace him. Ceballos feels like the best option with his defensive qualities.

CM: Jude Bellingham - Bellingham scored one of the goals in midweek, which may boost his confidence. Still undroppable given his talent.

CM: Arda Guler - The Turkish international looks well-liked by Arbeloa and has been a difference-maker in the last game and a half.

RW: Rodrygo - Mastantuono played well against Monaco and even netted his first UCL goal. However, Rodrygo may not have been rushed back with this game in mind.

LW: Vinicius Jr. - A Man of the Match performance against Monaco for Vini Jr., with a goal and two assists. Is this the start of the best of the Brazilian again?

ST: Kylian Mbappe - Two more goals on the season for Mbappe against Monaco, is there any stopping the Frenchman? Scored twice in this fixture last season.

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