Rodrygo, Rudiger start in a 4-3-3 – How Real Madrid can line up against Sevilla

Real Madrid will be in action later tonight for the last time in 2025 as they take on Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu in a La Liga fixture.

After having gone through a lean patch, Los Blancos have picked up back-to-back wins over Deportivo Alaves and CF Talavera over the past week and will be eager to end the year on a high with a victory in front of their supporters.

Real Madrid can reduce the gap to league leaders Barcelona to just one point with a win, putting pressure on the Catalans who face a tricky visit to Villarreal on Sunday.

Xabi Alonso, despite having secured back-to-back wins in the last two matches, still finds his job hanging by a thread and a disappointing performance from the team tonight could prove costly for the manager.

Heading into the match, the Real Madrid boss has been handed a fresh concern as Federico Valverde is a doubt due to discomfort. Alvaro Carreras and Endrick will be out again through suspension.

But there are some positives as Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, and Antonio Rudiger have all trained with the group, while Raul Asencio has also recovered from the fever that kept him out of the cup tie.

With that in mind, here’s how Real Madrid could line up at the Santiago Bernabeu for their final match of the calendar year.

Defence

Thibaut Courtois will reclaim his spot in the Real Madrid goal after being rested for the Copa del Rey clash, where Andriy Lunin started and captained the team.

Meanwhile, the returning Raul Asencio is expected to slot in as the right-back in the continued absence of Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold. David Jimenez, who started in the cup tie, will be on the bench.

Dean Huijsen will form a centre-back partnership with Antonio Rudiger, and the pair will hope to help the team secure a clean sheet to the end the year.

Asencio and Rudiger set to return. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Lastly, Fran Garcia, back after serving his one-match suspension, will take up the left-back slot in Alvaro Carreras’ absence. Victor Valdepenas, who started in the last league game, will not be called up.

Midfield

Aurelien Tchouameni is a permanent fixture in Xabi Alonso’s tactical setup in the centre of the park and should feature from the get-go tonight at the heart of the midfield.

Partnering the French international in the middle of the park will be Arda Guler, whose form has somewhat tapered in recent weeks. The Turkish international’s vision and creativity will be key to feeding Kylian Mbappe in attack.

The third slot in the Real Madrid midfield unit will most likely be taken up by Jude Bellingham, who has yet to find his best form under Alonso, despite having shown glimpses of his quality. Dani Ceballos will be an option from the bench.

Attack

Rodrygo has shown signs of recovering his form in recent matches and is likely to be rewarded with a starting spot tonight against Sevilla.

The Brazilian international should take up the right flank, while his compatriot Vinicius Jr. will occupy his customary spot on the left wing. The 25-year-old superstar is facing a long goal drought and has come under fire as of late and will be motivated to find the back of the net.

Leading the line for Real Madrid will be superstar forward Kylian Mbappe, who is two goals shy of breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record for most goals in a calendar year.