Jose Mourinho has already settled on the Real Madrid defence he wants for the biggest fixture of the season so far, and the most eye-catching detail sits at right-back.
According to Defensa Central, relayed in English by Madrid Universal, the Portuguese currently sees Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella as his preferred back four for the derby at the Metropolitano.
This is a report rather than a team sheet, and there is a trip to Elche to negotiate first. But it fits a pattern that has been forming since Mourinho’s opening weeks, and it tells Madridistas something about what he values when the pressure is on.
Dumfries ahead of Alexander-Arnold
The headline call is Dumfries over Trent Alexander-Arnold. On the face of it that looks harsh on a player who arrived as one of the most creative full-backs in Europe, but the logic is not hard to follow. Away from home against Diego Simeone’s side, Los Blancos can expect long spells without the ball, waves of crosses and a physical contest in both boxes. Dumfries offers recovery pace, aerial strength and defensive intensity; Alexander-Arnold offers a passing range Madrid may not get many chances to use.
Mourinho has never made a secret of prioritising defensive security in matches of this type. It does not make Dumfries undroppable for the season – the Dutchman and Alexander-Arnold have been trading the right-back shirt since August – but it does suggest Mourinho already knows which profile he trusts in the fixtures that define a campaign.
The Real Madrid defence in the middle: Konate and Huijsen
Through the centre, Konate and Huijsen are the combination that currently inspires most confidence, and it is a nicely balanced one. Konate brings pace, aggression and physical dominance. Huijsen brings composure on the ball and the progressive passing that gets Madrid up the pitch from deep.
That leaves Antonio Rudiger as the man waiting, a situation we looked at when it became clear he had slipped to third in the centre-back order. The German remains a serious option and exactly the sort of competitor who tends to matter in a derby. Eder Militao, meanwhile, is still working his way back from hamstring surgery, so Mourinho’s options here are not quite as luxurious as the squad list makes them look.
Cucurella keeps the left – for now
The most debatable line in the report concerns the left. Cucurella is expected to start despite Alvaro Carreras producing arguably the best 20 minutes of his Madrid career against Rayo Vallecano, winning the penalty Kylian Mbappe converted and then finishing a one-two with the Frenchman for the second goal.
Marca described it as Carreras taking the fight to Cucurella, noting that the Ferrol-born full-back has been building this case since pre-season, when he clocked more minutes than anyone in the squad. We covered that left-back battle in full earlier today. With Ferland Mendy out long term, these two are the only senior options on that side, and the competition is doing precisely what competition is meant to do.
Elche first, then the derby
None of this is settled. Madrid travel to the Martinez Valero on Tuesday for the sixth round of La Liga, kicking off at 21:30 CEST, and the report suggests one of the centre-backs could be rested there with the derby in mind. The squad returned to Valdebebas on Sunday morning, the Rayo starters restricted to recovery work while the rest went through pressing drills, combination play and finishing.
Elche will not roll over – the last meeting at that ground finished 2-2 – and a scruffy night there would change the conversation entirely. But on the evidence of the last month, Mourinho knows what his strongest defensive unit looks like, and Atletico is the game he has been building it for. The picture around that fixture, including Atletico’s own injury concerns, will only sharpen over the next week.
