Real Madrid v Malaga: Mourinho names refreshed XI with Cucurella starting

Jose Mourinho has made five changes to the Real Madrid starting line-up for Sunday’s La Liga meeting with Malaga at Santiago Bernabeu, with Marc Cucurella handed his first start for the club.

The Real Madrid manager has opted to rotate his squad after Wednesday’s match against Real Sociedad, making several adjustments to the side that began that game.

Cucurella is the most notable inclusion, while Antonio Rudiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold come into the defence. Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries have been rested, while Bernardo Silva is also given a break and replaced by Eduardo Camavinga.

The changes continue in attack, where Brahim Diaz joins Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in a formidable forward line. The selection gives Mourinho the opportunity to manage his players’ workload while retaining considerable attacking quality for the home fixture.

Real Madrid’s starting XI is:

Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella; Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde; Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Kylian Mbappe.

The club confirmed the line-up in a social media post ahead of kick-off, publishing the message: “📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!🆚@MalagaCF👉@UnicajaBancopic.twitter.com/OmZVwxHsCK”.

Malaga manager Juan Funes has also named his team for the match.

Malaga’s starting XI is:

Alfonso Herrero; Boja, Recio, Galilea, Rafita; Larrubia, Dotor, Merino; Rafa Rodriguez, Joaquin Munoz and Chup.

The contest at Santiago Bernabeu will therefore feature two sides with clearly defined selections: Mourinho has prioritised rotation within a strong Real Madrid team, while Funes has kept faith with the group selected to face the hosts.

For Real Madrid, the spotlight will be on how the reshaped defence performs and on Cucurella’s first start since joining the club. His inclusion is the clearest indication of Mourinho’s willingness to refresh the team, while the presence of Rudiger and Alexander-Arnold provides experience around him.

Camavinga’s replacement of Bernardo Silva is another significant change in midfield, with the France international brought into the starting line-up as Real Madrid adjust following their previous league fixture.

The hosts will rely on the attacking combination of Brahim Diaz, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Mbappe to provide the main threat, with Mourinho choosing to rotate without significantly weakening the forward options available to him.