Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Valencia: Mbappe Leads the Line for Strongest XI

Real Madrid’s shaky start to the La Liga season is firmly in the rearview mirror after a run of four straight victories.
José Mourinho’s men have the chance to complete a perfect run of five wins between the two autumn international breaks and keep the pressure on Barcelona, when they travel to Valencia on Saturday.
With the defending champions not playing until Sunday night, against Atlético Madrid, Los Blancos have the ideal chance to gain ground in the title race.
It’s all almost too perfectly set up for Madrid, who face 19th-placed Valencia, who are on a wretched run of six home games without a win this season.
Here’s how Real Madrid could line up for Saturday’s La Liga encounter.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Valencia

GK: Thibaut Courtois—The Belgian ranks fourth in La Liga for save percentage this season, with an impressive 76.9%. He goes to Valencia seeking only his fourth clean sheet of 2026–27.
RB: Federico Valverde—Mourinho seems to like the balance Valverde provides at fullback, in contrast to his other options. The Uruguayan should be back in contention after a hamstring issue.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—Clearly established now as one half of the manager’s preferred center-back partnership, Konaté has played in 10 out of 11 games in La Liga so far.
CB: Dean Huijsen—Huijsen too has Mourinho’s backing. The Spain international leads the way at Madrid for clearances and interceptions this season.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The World Cup winner was subbed off on Wednesday with an eye on the weekend’s match.
CM: Bernardo Silva—Like with Cucurella, Silva came off early against AEK Athens; a sign that he could be in line to start on Saturday.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—Madrid’s No. 14 provides a level of defensive cover that no other player offers in the midfield.
RW: Arda Güler—The 21-year-old has five goal involvements in his last five outings in all competitions, as he continues a fine start to the season.
AM: Jude Bellingham—On the scoresheet midweek, Bellingham is relishing his role as Madrid’s central attacking midfield option.
LW: Yan Diomande—Vinícius Jr is set to return from suspension after the international break, but no longer feels like an undisputed starter thanks to the form of the 19-year-old Ivorian.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—Mbappé has three goals in four previous matches against Valencia.

Andy Headspeath is a Real Madrid correspondent for Sports Illustrated FC. Originally from the UK, the weather, culture and soccer lured him to Spain over a decade ago where he lives with his wife, son and two untrainable dogs. A player of unspeakably limited talents and only one fully functional knee, he has more than a decade's experience in a wide variety of editorial roles within sports media, from match reporting to in-depth feature writing and interviews. He specializes in soccer history and culture, as well as—of course—La Liga.