Mbappe Leads Madrid’s Offensive: Arbeloa Names Attack for Vallecano Showdown
1 February 2026
Lineup and Context
Alvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid's coach, unveiled the lineup to face Rayo Vallecano in La Liga round 22.
He deployed a three-pronged attack featuring Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, and Franco Mastantuono.
The starting XI was: Courtois, Camavinga, Din Husin, Raúl Asensio, Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé, Franco Mastantuono.
Madrid sit second with 51 points, while Vallecano lie 16th with 22.
Madrid aim to regain balance after the heavy 4-2 defeat at Benfica in Lisbon, which forced them into a playoff to reach the last-16 of the Champions League.
Punchline: If football had a GPS, the ball would still take a zigzag route to the net—tonight, it found the back of the net anyway. Punchline 2: Madrid’s attack brought the snacks; the defense brought the excuses; the scoreboard brought the celebration.
