Racing Santander vs Real Madrid: confirmed line-ups, live score and TV
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Real Madrid confirmed Kylian Mbappe in the starting line-up for the trip to Racing Santander. Kick-off was 8:15 pm PKT.
- Madrid trail Barcelona by three points and cannot slip at El Sardinero. Racing are unbeaten in five home games.
- Watch it in Spain on Orange TV and DAZN. In the UK it is on Premier Sports 2. In the US it is on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.
Real Madrid face Racing Santander at El Sardinero on Sunday. The La Liga matchday 11 game kicked off at 8:15 pm PKT. Jose Mourinho confirmed his starting line-up, with Kylian Mbappe leading the attack.
The game is underway. The score was 0-0 in the opening minutes, according to the Sportradar live feed. Madrid arrived in Santander chasing their sixth straight win in all competitions.
What happened
Real Madrid published the confirmed line-up two hours before kick-off, per the club's website. Thibaut Courtois starts in goal after missing the Clasico with the flu. Trent Alexander-Arnold starts at right back in place of the injured Federico Valverde.
TNT Sports reported it is only his fourth La Liga start of the season.
Courtois is joined in defence by Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Huijsen and Cucurella. Tchouameni and Bernardo Silva play in midfield.
Diomande, Bellingham and Guler support Mbappe in attack. The substitutes include Endrick, Brahim Diaz, Eduardo Camavinga and Antonio Rudiger, the club said.
Agirrezabala starts in goal for Racing. Mantilla, Ramon, Belocian and A Martin make the defence. I Martin and Prati play in midfield.
Luque, Canales and Vicente support Zabiri up front, per TNT Sports. Canales played for Real Madrid in 2010-11. He now faces his old club and his former boss Mourinho, SI reported.
Racing are missing first-choice left back Jorge Salinas. He is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season, SI reported.
Why it matters
Madrid cut the gap to three points by beating Barcelona in the Clasico, SI reported. A week ago they looked set to lose a third straight league title. The win gave them new life in the title race.
Mbappe is in red-hot form. His Clasico double took him to 100 goals for Real Madrid.
He has 11 league goals in 10 games this season. He is chasing a third straight Pichichi Trophy as La Liga's top scorer, SI reported.
But Madrid have problems on the road. Both of their league defeats this season came away from home.
They have not won an away league game by more than one goal. Their wins at Espanyol and Elche both needed stoppage-time goals from Carlos Espi, SI said.
Racing are dangerous at home. They are unbeaten in five games at El Sardinero since returning to La Liga.
They drew 2-2 with Villarreal on the opening day. They have the league's breakout striker in 21-year-old Yassir Zabiri.
The Moroccan has eight goals in 10 games. Only Raphinha and Mbappe have more this season, SI reported.
The history favors Madrid strongly. Madrid have 22 wins to Racing's seven in this fixture, with seven draws, per SI. The last meeting was a 4-0 Madrid win in 2012.
Mourinho was in charge then too. Racing lost 7-2 at Camp Nou this season. But at home they are a different team.
Madrid are also short of options. Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo remain out with injuries.
Vinicius Jr is serving game three of a four-match suspension, SI reported. That puts more pressure on Mbappe and Bellingham to deliver goals.
The same-day Getafe vs Sevilla clash shows how tight La Liga's middle table is. Madrid's rivals keep dropping points, so every win counts.
Barcelona have also dropped points on the road this season. See our Real Betis 2-5 Barcelona report.
What happens next
A win keeps Madrid three points behind Barcelona. The pressure then stays on the leaders.
A draw or defeat could stretch the gap to five or six points. That would be a serious blow just when Madrid looked back in the race.
For Racing, even a point would be a famous result. They sit comfortably in mid-table.
A home win over Madrid would prove they belong in La Liga. Zabiri could use the big stage to boost his growing reputation.
The result also matters for momentum. Madrid then visit AEK in the Champions League on Wednesday, per TNT Sports listings. Mourinho will not want his team going into Europe after a slip-up in Cantabria.
Madrid's recent European form has been strong, including the Roma vs Real Madrid comeback. They will want that winning habit to continue. But first they must survive the banana skin at El Sardinero.
SI predicted a 3-0 win for Madrid. The early signs show a tight game. Follow the live score above, and check back for the full-time report and reaction.
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