3 non-negotiable starters (and 3 benchwarmers) as Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid
The Madrid derby takes place this weekend with both sides neck and neck in La Liga. Real Madrid are second only to Barcelona. However, Atletico Madrid are fourth and just two points behind Los Blancos.
Jose Mourinho's side edged out Elche 3-2 this week. There are non-negotiable starters for Los Blancos and definite benchwarmers for this Sunday's game.
3 non-negotiable starters as Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe is almost single-handedly winning games for Real Madrid right now. It could be argued that he is papering over the cracks in a few strange Mourinho lineup calls. The Frenchman scored and set up Carlos Espi's late winner against Elche on Tuesday night. He is the talisman who can make a difference on derby day.
Thibaut Courtois
Courtois has played every minute for Real Madrid this season. He is the undisputed number one, and the goalkeeper still has many years at the top ahead of him. Recent comments from the player say he plans to do so and then possibly work as a goalkeeping coach for the club.
Jude Bellingham
Arda Guler may have started against Elche and got an assist. However, Bellingham always steps up on the biggest stage for both his club and country. Bellingham also played well when he came on for Guler in the 68th minute during the week.
3 benchwarmers as Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid
Denzel Dumfries
Atletico is known for being defensively resolute, so Real Madrid may need a player like Trent Alexander-Arnold to unlock their back line. Dumfries is more of a defensive full-back than Alexander-Arnold. Therefore, he may be better suited to coming off the bench to shut up shop if Los Blancos have the lead.
Endrick
Endrick made his first appearance of the season against Elche this week. However, he only appeared as a substitute late on. The Brazilian deserves more of a chance this campaign after impressing on loan at Olympique Lyonnais last season. However, he will likely only be a backup option for Mbappe in this weekend's fixture.
Raul Asencio
Dean Huijsen has been in form and has been playing alongside the experienced Ibrahima Konate. As a result, Asencio has yet to play this season. He was suffering from a muscle injury early on. However, he was left on the bench for the last two games. It would be too much to throw Asencio in against Atletico for his first match of the campaign.
