Madrid's Injury Maze: Four Absences Loom Over Real Madrid's Rayo Vallecano Showdown

Lineup and injuries ahead of Real Madrid's Rayo Vallecano test

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has announced the squad for Sunday’s La Liga clash at Rayo Vallecano. The trip to Vallecas comes in round 12, with Madrid looking to extend their league lead before the international break.

Madrid welcomed the return of defender David Alaba to training, offering the coach more solidity at the back after his absence.

However, the injury list hits hard: Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, Franco Mastantuno, and Aurélien Tchouaméni are unavailable, forcing Alonso to reshuffle the spine for the weekend.

Madrid sits top of La Liga with 30 points, while Rayo Vallecano occupy tenth with 14, setting the stage for a stern test despite the gap in the standings.

In a statement accompanying the squad, the club outlined Real Madrid’s lineup for the match, as Alonso eyes a balance between attack and structure ahead of a busy period in the calendar.

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Sergio Mistrí; Defense: Eder Militao, David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Sainz, Alvaro Carreras, Fran Garcia, Ferland Mendy, Din Hoisin; Midfield: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos; Attack: Vinicius Junior, Endrick, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo Goes, Gonzalo Garcia, Ibrahim Diaz.

Real Madrid had previously fallen 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in the fourth matchday of the Champions League group phase, a result Alonso will hope his side can rebound from with a stronger display at Vallecas.

Restoring the winning tone

The league leaders aim to maintain their momentum after four consecutive league wins, a run that followed a heavy 2-5 loss to Atlético Madrid in week seven. Madrid reclaimed the top spot after Barcelona slipped up, capitalizing on Sevilla’s 4-1 win over Zagreb in the Europa League—an example, perhaps, of how quickly the picture can shift in a crowded fixture list.

Despite the disparity in stature between Madrid and their opponents, Rayo have proven stubborn, twice taking points off the giants in their last four meetings, including a draw at the Bernabéu and another on home soil.

The absence of Aurélien Tchouaméni complicates Real’s midfield balance, but Alonso remains hopeful that the Frenchman’s replacement will step up and that the squad’s talent can still drive victory on Sunday.

Mbappé’s form continues to draw attention, having started the season with prodigious numbers and producing moments of quality in key fixtures, notably the Clasico with Barcelona. His influence remains central as Madrid chase consistency and a wider gap at the summit.

Historically, no Madrid player has begun a season with a stronger start than Mbappé’s current run, a benchmark that players and supporters will hope to see continued in the weeks ahead, even as injuries bite.

Locker room tensions?

Sports reports have highlighted friction within the squad, feeding the narrative that Alonso’s leadership might be stretched. The Venus of the discussion appears to be Vinícius Júnior's replacement, after a contentious substitution, with Pérez reportedly cautious about addressing player friction publicly.

Speculation has also swirled around Fede Valverde’s deployment as a right-back, the management of young forward Endrick, and a late tactical reshuffle involving Trent Alexander-Arnold in the Liverpool clash, hinting at a broader sense of unease in some corners of the dressing room.

The club has signalled that no punishment will be imposed on Vinícius for the incident, instead opting for a quieter approach to discipline—an approach that has drawn mixed reactions from observers and fans alike.

The same report suggested that tensions could be tied to broader strategic questions about how Alonso intends to evolve the playing style and rotate the squad, with some voices in the media cautioning that relying on star players without deeper structural changes may not be a viable long-term plan.

No rotation, no problem?

Technically, the results of late have sharpened doubts about whether Alonso’s version of Madrid can develop a more durable method of play. The Clasico performance suggested Madrid remains a team of star power rather than a cohesive unit, with the midfield and defense operating from a familiar core rather than embracing a more dynamic system—at least for now.

Per reports, Perez believes this Madrid is far from the “modern Real Madrid” described by those close to Alonso, quoting a line often recalled in the dressing room: “Real Madrid trains itself; just put the best on the field and they’ll play themselves.”

Physical strain and growing anxiety

Beyond tactical questions, Pérez has voiced concern about the team’s physical condition, an issue that has troubled the club for some time. Alonso recruited Ismael Caminforti Lopez from the club’s training complex to inject new methods, but numbers suggest Madrid ran less than Liverpool at Anfield on the latest road trip—a reminder that even a star-studded squad must keep pace with the demands of modern fixtures.

Spanish media have pointed out that Madrid’s players tend to expend maximum effort primarily in big matches, a habit that makes the challenge of maintaining high energy across a long season even more pressing for Alonso and his supporters.

In short, Madrid’s recent period has raised questions about depth, leadership, and how this squad will sustain peak performances through a packed calendar, with the Vallecano test set to be a revealing moment in the narrative of a season that promises both glory and scrutiny.

Final note for readers:

Madrid’s lineup and the injury list are not just numbers on a page; they shape what we see on the pitch, from who starts to how the team plans to grind out results when the rotation belt isn’t spinning as loudly as hoped.

Punchlines aside, if you’re betting on a high-octane display, Sunday’s match might just be a test of character as much as a test of talent. And yes, four injuries is not a phase—it's a plot twist that even the scriptwriters didn't see coming.