Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Malaga: La Liga
José Mourinho’s second Bernabéu debut was a joyous one as Real Madrid continued their perfect start to 2026–27 with a 4–1 win over Real Sociedad midweek.
The manager was left waxing lyrical about Kylian Mbappé, who put La Real to the sword with a typically superbly taken hat-trick, while the team performance was a major upgrade on the jittery season-opening away win over Espanyol a few days before.
Next up at the Bernabéu on Sunday is newly promoted Málaga, who have a single point from their opening two fixtures and have not beaten Madrid since 2012.
As Mourinho continues to integrate the new signings and get a feel for his team, here’s how Real Madrid could line up for this La Liga clash against their Andalusian visitors.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Málaga
GK: Thibaut Courtois—Madrid’s No. 1 has yet to keep a clean sheet this season. Defensive questions linger about this team, but never about the keeper.
RB: Denzel Dumfries—Mourinho has stuck with new signing Dumfries over Trent Alexander-Arnold for the first two matches of the season. In home games where Madrid are expected to dominate, his rampaging style is a major asset.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—Antonio Rüdiger has not featured yet this season, with new man Konate seemingly the preferred starter.
CB: Dean Huijsen—After missing out on Spain’s World Cup triumph, 21-year-old Huijsen has started the season strong, showing off both his smooth passing and ability to get stuck into a battle against both Espanyol and Real Sociedad.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The new left back has been restricted to sub appearances so far, likely in part due to a truncated preseason after his World Cup heroics. Expect him to usurp Álvaro Carreras sooner rather than later.
CM: Federico Valverde—The new captain is a key cog in the engine room in a deeper lying role, especially with the more defense-minded Aurélien Tchouaméni still recovering from injury.
CM: Bernardo Silva—The 32-year-old serial winner has had a low-key start to his Madrid career so far but Mourinho views his experience and versatility as invaluable assets.
RW: Arda Güler—One of the more interesting developments of the opening weeks has been Güler’s shift to the right wing, leaving record signing Yan Diomande on the bench. The Türkiye international’s ability to drift and drag opponents around works well with Dumfries’s overlapping runs down the right.
AM: Jude Bellingham—Already off the mark this season with a goal in Madrid’s opener, followed by two assists against La Real, Bellingham will be a key man for Mourinho in his 4-2-3-1 system.
LW: Vinícius Jr—Mourinho has accused opponents of “bullying” his Brazilian winger with the number of fouls he receives. After being chopped down a massive eight times against Espanyol, Vinícius was on the painful end of just two fouls in the win over Real Sociedad.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—Now up to 89 goals for the club in just 105 appearances after bagging the first hat-trick in La Liga this season.
