Overview
- Kickoff is 21:00 CEST at the Santiago Bernabéu, with broadcasts on DAZN/Movistar+ in Spain, ESPN and Disney Plus across much of Latin America, Sky Sports in Mexico, and ESPN platforms and fuboTV in the United States.
- Real Madrid enter second on 18 points and Villarreal third on 16, with a Villarreal victory potentially sending them to the summit and a Madrid win offering a route back above Barcelona.
- Madrid rebounded from the derby defeat by beating Kairat Almaty 5-0 in the Champions League as Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick, while Villarreal arrive on three straight LaLiga wins and a 2-2 draw with Juventus.
- Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander‑Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy are out injured, Éder Militão is listed as doubtful or returning, and local reports project Raúl Asencio at right back with Courtois in goal and Mbappé leading the attack.
- Head coach Xabi Alonso dismissed suggestions that any player refused to play out of position following remarks attributed to Federico Valverde, emphasizing full commitment to squad needs.