Frank Christian
This Saturday, Real Madrid will face Celta Vigo, marking their return to La Liga action following the October international break.
Entering matchday 10, Los Blancos trail Barcelona by three points after a challenging 2-0 victory over Villarreal. Attention is already shifting toward the first Clasico matchup scheduled for October 26.
Before that, Carlo Ancelotti must strategically handle two challenging matches: one against Celta in the league and another versus Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League, all while managing a significant injury situation at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With several key players sidelined due to injuries and others returning with fitness issues from international duty, Ancelotti’s lineup for Saturday could feature some surprises. One player expected to start is Kylian Mbappe, who forwent national duties to work on his fitness after a mixed start at Madrid, and he will be eager to shine.
Stay tuned for the latest team updates and predicted lineups.
WATCH: Follow Kylian Mbappe’s debut La Liga season on ESPN+ (USA)
Expected Lineups for Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid
Celta Vigo will be without their key player Iago Aspas due to a red card received against Las Palmas. There are ongoing uncertainties over Ilaix Moriba, who may also be suspended as his appeal is pending.
Jailson and Luca de la Torre are also out due to separate injuries. Jonathan Bamba must complete a late fitness test to be eligible to play.
Celta Vigo predicted lineup (3-4-3 formation): Guaita (GK) — Manquillo, Starfelt, Alonso — Mingueza, Beltran, D. Rodriguez, Alvarez — Duran, Iglesias, Swedberg.
Injuries: Jailson, Torre, Bamba (doubt)
Suspensions: Aspas, Moriba (appeal pending)
Real Madrid, on the other hand, will miss Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, and Brahim Diaz due to injuries, and Dani Carvajal will be absent for the rest of the season following a serious knee injury.
Fortunately, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos have returned from their injuries and are likely to be included for the encounter at Balaidos.
There is some uncertainty surrounding Endrick, Rodrygo, and Federico Valverde, who trained indoors on Friday. Kylian Mbappe has been focusing on conditioning for the past two weeks and is expected to be fully match-ready.
Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-3-3 formation): Lunin (GK) — Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy — Modric, Tchouameni, Bellingham — Guler, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Injuries: Courtois, Alaba, Carvajal, Diaz, Valverde (doubt), Endrick (doubt), Rodrygo (doubt)
Suspensions: None
Match Information: When does Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid start?
The La Liga encounter is scheduled for Balaidos in Vigo, Spain. Kickoff is set for Saturday, October 19 at 9 p.m. local time.
Here’s how the kickoff time aligns in various time zones:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Sat, Oct. 19 | 3 p.m. ET |
| Australia | Sun, Oct. 20 | 6 a.m. AEDT |
| UK | Sat, Oct. 19 | 8 p.m. BST |
| India | Sun, Oct. 20 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
