Madrid's Injury Blitz Faces Valencia Clash: Five Key Absences Shake the Lineup
8 February 2026
Match Preview and Absences
Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid's coach, announced the squad to face Valencia in the 23rd round of La Liga on Sunday.
Among the absences are: Eder Militao, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes, Ferland Mendy due to injury, and Vinícius Júnior suspended.
Real Madrid sit second in La Liga with 54 points, four behind Barcelona, though they have played one fewer match.
Meanwhile, Valencia sit 16th with 23 points.
The full Real Madrid squad list was as follows:
Real Madrid Squad and Key Changes
Goalkeepers: Courtois - Lunin - Sergio Mistry.
Defenders: Carvajal - Alaba - Trent Alexander-Arnold - Asensio - Álvaro Carerra - Fran Garcia - Rudiger - Hussein - Jiménez.
Midfielders: Kamavinga - Valverde - Tchouaméni - Arda Güler - Dani Ceballos - Cestero.
Forwards: Mbappé - Gonzalo - Ibrahim Díaz - Mastantuno.
According to AS, the biggest lineup news is the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold to the starting XI, ending the emergency at right-back and allowing Federico Valverde to move back to his natural midfield position after defensive duties in recent matches.
Valencia, meanwhile, are positioned 16th with 23 points, and the clash shapes as a test of Madrid's depth and tactical adaptability.
Punchline: If injuries were a transfer window, Madrid would have filed for extra patience and a bigger bench—talk about a dream season’s scheduling.
Punchline 2: Valencia fans can laugh, but remember—in football, even a thin squad can pull off a miracle, especially when the tiki-taka behaves like a boomerang.
