| Real Madrid vs Villarreal | |
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MATCH INFO |
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MATCH :
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Real Madrid vs Villarreal
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COMPETITION :
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Ligue 1
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| DATE: |
25 - 01 - 2026
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TIME:
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01.30 AM IST
12.00 AM UAE
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STADIUM
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Estadio de la Cerámica |
Team News & Expected Lineups
Villarreal will be without five players for Saturday’s contest due to a combination of injuries and suspensions. Willy Kambwala (hamstring), Logan Costa (knee) and Pau Cabanes (knee) remain sidelined through injury, while both Santi Comesana and Santiago Mourino are unavailable due to suspension.
Head coach Marcelino García Toral is expected to rotate his squad following Villarreal’s Champions League clash with Ajax. Tajon Buchanan, Georges Mikautadze, Dani Parejo, Pau Navarro and Alfonso Pedraza are all in contention to be introduced to the starting lineup.
In attack, Gerard Moreno is pushing for a return to the XI, although the current expectation is that Ayoze Perez will partner Mikautadze in the final third.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have received a timely boost with Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz both returning to training. Rodrygo has recovered from the injury that kept him out of the club’s last three matches, while Diaz has rejoined the squad following international duty with Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, Aurelien Tchouameni will miss the match through suspension, and the visitors remain without Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh), Eder Militao (hamstring), Ferland Mendy (hamstring) and Antonio Rudiger (knee), all of whom have been ruled out.
Tchouameni’s absence could allow Arda Guler to feature in midfield, while Federico Valverde is expected to continue at right-back. In attack, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are set to start after delivering standout performances against Monaco in the Champions League.